TIPP CITY, Ohio /eNewsChannels/ — NEWS: In June, a team of four Oak Hills Local Schools students, sponsored by Energy Optimizers, USA, participated in a hands-on bicycle building exercise at Otterbein College in Westerville – but this was no ordinary bike. The four middle school girls were participants in the AEGIS 2015 Energy Program, and their bicycle transforms riders’ energy into light, heat and sound.
AEGIS stands for Activating and Energizing Girls in Science, and the Energy Program is designed to illuminate STEM career paths for girls in middle school. Over the course of three days, the girls transformed components, gears and wires into a fully functioning Ohio Energy Project Energy Bike. The bike demonstrates for riders how much effort it takes to turn energy into power. It also allows riders to see in real time how much more energy it takes to light up an incandescent lightbulb compared to more energy efficient LED and CFL lightbulbs.
As the team members built and wired the bikes, they gained valuable engineering experience. They also earned the designation of “Energy Bike Experts.” Once school starts in the fall, they will train other students and teachers how to use the bikes, offer classroom programs and participate in outreach events to help promote conservation.
The team was sponsored by Energy Optimizers, USA, an energy management firm based in Tipp City, Ohio, which has partnered with Oak Hills Local Schools to improve the district’s energy efficiency by upgrading the lighting and building controls and the installation of a solar thermal system for the Oak Hills High School swimming pool. The $4 million project is expected to reduce the district’s utility costs by an estimated $373,835 annually.
As part of the project, Energy Optimizers, USA, sponsored a Green Team for the district to educate students about energy management concepts and careers in STEM fields. In addition to funding the team for two years, Energy Optimizers, USA, provides Ohio Energy Project academic materials that are aligned to Ohio’s academic content standards.
“Education is a foundational component of every project we take on,” said Energy Optimizers, USA, President and Founder Greg Smith. “We sponsor Green Teams for all of our school district partners because we feel so strongly about not only about energy conservation, but also about preparing our next generation of engineers and scientists. We were honored to assist this group of exceptional students with pursuing their interests in engineering, green energy and conservation education.”
About Energy Optimizers, USA:
Energy Optimizers, USA works with educational, governmental, commercial and industrial customers to implement energy savings opportunities to reduce operational costs, including lighting retrofits, renewable energy projects (wind and solar), HVAC retrofit projects, building automation retrofits and energy education programs. The company is ranked in the Top 500 of INC. Magazine’s list of 5,000 fastest growing companies in the U.S. (2014), was named the Fastest Growing Company in the region for two consecutive years by the Dayton Business Journal (2013, 2014), and was named a BBB Eclipse Integrity Award Finalist (2012). To learn more about Energy Optimizers, USA, visit their website at http://energyoptusa.com/ or call them at (937) 877-1919.
TWITTER: @EoptimizeUSA
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