At Stoughton 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 Stoughton. 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 parts of our ongoing educational efforts, Stoughton
Utilities is willing to provide educational 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. For more information on any of these programs, please
contact us.
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.
Energy Cycle
The Energy Cycle 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.
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
experiement 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. This publication is
sent quarterly and reaches all of our customers as an insert to their monthly utility statement.
National Theatre for Children
Each year, the utility sponsors numerous 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 imaginatiave and
customized presentations effectively reach the students, teachers, and parents.
The program for 2012 is
Men In Plaid: The Kilowatt Connection
and teaches students about energy efficiency. Curriculum supplements for teachers
can be found here.
PowerTOWN
The eight-foot PowerTOWN 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"
Watts Up! Meter

A Watts Up! meter is available for loan to Stoughton Utilities customers through the Stoughton Public Library. It will measure voltage, amperage and cost of plug-in appliances or other equipment operating at 110 VAC (e.g. refrigerators, televisions, or anything else that plugs into a standard outlet). To find out how much energy your appliances are costing you, or to compare your current appliances to the new energy efficient appliances, use the Watts Up! meter today!