At Oconomowoc Utilities, we believe that nothing is as important to the future of the community as our young citizens. We pride ourselves on our commitment to energy and safety education in Oconomowoc.

Whether it’s through the classroom or the community, we strive to provide a strong network of information to further educate community members about electric and water subjects and how it relates to customers both young and old.

As part of our ongoing educational efforts, Oconomowoc Utilities provides educational materials and presentations to schools, service groups and seniors. We also provide teaching units, videos, publications and workshops to interested groups all year long.

The following are just a few examples of our energy and safety education tools. To schedule any of the listed programs or for more information, contact Greg Hoffmann at 262-569-3282.

Electric University Meter Lab

The Electric University Meter Lab is an educational resource intended to measure and compare the energy consumption of various 110-volt appliances. It features a working electric meter mounted on a wooden base. A power strip allows multiple appliances to be plugged in at once. It is used to teach valuable lessons about energy consumption and can be used to teach students and consumers how to read their electric meters and how to compute the cost of operating various electrical devices.

Energize Your Library Partnership

The Energize Your Library Partnership program provides an opportunity for the utility to build a valuable educational relationship with the local library. Through this partnership, the utility works with the library to identify and to purchase beneficial energy-related resources and materials to help the community’s patrons learn about related topics.

Pedal Power

The Pedal Power Energy Education display is a bicycle-powered generator that teaches basic scientific concepts related to the conversion of energy from one form to another and its efficient use for lighting, heating, and transportation. These concepts become tangible as the cyclist literally feels the effort required to light a bulb, heat water or spin a motor. We use the Pedal Power display at schools, libraries, fairs and trade shows.

KEEP scholarships

The utility provides scholarships for local teachers to attend KEEP — the statewide K-12 Energy Education Program. KEEP is a 16-hour in-service that helps teachers integrate hands-on energy education activities into their classrooms. The program also demonstrates how teachers can use energy education to ensure that their students meet Wisconsin academic standards.

KEEP makes the sometimes-intimidating topic of energy understandable to students of all ages. Second graders can learn about the coal mining process as they “find resources” in chocolate chip cookies. Middle school students can experiment with properties of motors by modeling an electric motor. High school students can discuss “energy futures” by studying energy trends and new technologies.

Local Circuit

The Local Circuit is a newsletter designed to provide our commercial and residential customers with information about programs and services as well as energy efficiency, technology and industry information.

National Theatre for Children

Each year, the utility sponsors live theatre shows presented by the Minneapolis-based National Theatre for Children! (NTC). NTC tours the United States presenting lively, interactive educational shows.

NTC dedicates itself to educating young people on important and timely energy-related topics. Coined with printed curriculum materials and teacher guides, their imaginative and customized presentations effectively reach the students, teachers and parents.

PowerTOWN

The eight-foot power TOWN educational model makes a lasting impression at safety presentations. The crackle of a high voltage electrical arc reinforces electrical safety messages that school-age audiences will not soon forget. This realistic tool demonstrates the effects of:

• Contacting overhead lines by an antenna
• Contacting overhead lines by a kite
• Contacting overhead lines by a metal pipe
• Contacting overhead lines by a tree
• Contacting a padmount transformer
• Energizing a vehicle by a downed overhead line
• Energizing a metal fence by a downed overhead line
• Exploding a pole mount transformer
• Contacting substation transformers
• Contacting overhead line with a sailboat mast
• Contacting underground power cable with a backhoe
• "Call Before You Dig"