Students Become Teachers As Earth Day Approaches

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (04/18/2012) - As the whole world prepares to celebrate Earth Day, the students of Pittsburgh are getting ready to show their community ways to help reduce their energy usage. Direct Energy partnered with the Alliance to Save Energy to help fund the Green Schools program at eight Propel Charter Schools with the goal of reducing their energy costs by 5-15%. Propel schools have already reported an incredible 5.5% overall savings on their energy bills since the program launched.

The Green Teams from both the Propel Braddock Hills Elementary and High Schools kicking off this Earth Day by sharing their energy conservation expertise and encouraging area residents to adopt sustainability in their personal lives. A large part of the Green Schools program is based on the students' commitment to generating ideas and championing simple projects that yield big energy saving results and then carrying that message out of their schools, into their homes and communities.

"The Green Schools Program not only teaches young people about the importance of effective, efficient use of energy, but also demonstrates firsthand the significance that small, individual actions can have on their school, in their home and in the community," said Cory Byzewski, Vice President and General Manager for Direct Energy. "The students have become the teachers. The impact that they have on their schools is measurable. When they see that, they truly became more vested and dedicated to being advocates for energy efficiency."

The schools have become learning labs where the students are learning about energy efficiency, auditing usage in their school and apply science, math and language arts to solve problems and make improvements. Seemingly trivial things like turning off the lights when leaving the room or leaving lights off in unoccupied spaces have definitely impacted their bottom line. The students even organized a refrigerator to encourage teachers to turn in their personal refrigerators in exchange for a small cooler and a cold pack.

The two-year Propel Schools program is part of the Pennsylvania-wide Green Schools Program which also involves eight North Penn School District area schools. "The students in Propel Charter Schools have emerged as leaders in their school's efforts to save energy." said Megan Campion, Program Manager for the Alliance to Save Energy. "The North Penn School District teachers and custodians have provided knowledge and opportunity to make a big difference in the culture of the schools and community."

Thanks to the Green Schools program, the students of Propel Schools have become advocates committed to saving energy. This Thursday, April 19, 2012, the students will observe Earth Day by hosting an Energy Saving trivia game with CFL light bulbs for prizes.

CFL bulbs, also called compact fluorescent bulbs or energy-saving light, are designed to give the same amount of visible light while using one fifth to one third of the electric power and last fifteen times longer than the incandescent or traditional light bulb. The price for the bulbs is higher than that of the standard incandescent lamp but over the lifetime of the bulb, the consumer can save over five times its purchase price in electricity. This and other energy efficiency lessons are learned and promoted in the Propel Green Schools program.

About Direct Energy

Direct Energy is one of North America's largest energy and energy-related services providers with more than 6 million residential and commercial customer relationships. Direct Energy provides customers with choice and support in managing their energy costs through a portfolio of innovative products and services. A subsidiary of Centrica plc (LSE:CNA), one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, Direct Energy operates in 45 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia and 10 provinces in Canada. Direct Energy has operated in Pennsylvania since 2008 and supplies natural gas and electricity to thousands of customers in the state. Direct Energy's commitment to helping others extends beyond Pennsylvania. The company partners with community-based organizations throughout North America to aid them in trying to make a positive impact in their communities.

About the Alliance to Save Energy

The Alliance to Save Energy is a coalition of prominent business, government, environmental and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide to benefit consumers, the environment, the economy and national security.