Andover High School Educates Homeowners on Energy Saving

Andover High School is pleased to announce it is partnering with Next Step Living®, the Northeast’s leading provider of whole-home energy solutions, to help Andover homeowners and renters lower their monthly utility bills and live more sustainably. Through the Sustainable Energy Education Drive (SEED), the Environmental Club at Andover High School wants to encourage residents to participate in Mass Save®, a utility program that offers access to home energy solutions, including a no-cost home energy assessment.

The green fundraiser will give families the opportunity to learn about energy-saving programs while raising contributions for sustainable initiatives at Andover High School through match contributions from Next Step Living for every completed assessment.

“When I came across the SEED Program, I knew it had the potential of creating positive change, so I took the initiative to get the program started at my school.” says Laurie-Maude Chenard, student at Andover High School and SEED Energy Captain. Last month, Chenard also organized a presentation at her school from the Alliance for Climate Education (ACE), an award-winning national nonprofit that educates and inspires high school students to take action on climate change.

“The SEED program is a great follow-up to the ACE Assembly because it gives students an immediate, highly impactful way to take action in their communities,” says Rouwenna Lamm, the National Program Director for ACE.

A no-cost Home Energy Assessment takes just a few hours and includes some Instant Savings Measures that a Next Step Living home energy advisor can implement on the spot. Installing just one new energy efficiency light bulb can save $40 over the lifespan of the bulb. The average family can save $310 per year just by switching to water saving fixtures. At the end, residents will have recommendations for saving money, improving their comfort, and making their home more environmentally friendly. For every completed no-cost assessment, Next Step Living will make a contribution to the Environmental Club’s goal of increasing the energy efficiency of their school.

The program has seen success at local schools like Newburyport High School, raising nearly $6,000 through Next Step Living contributions to buy MacBooks for the school library, and at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, which also used funds to buy water-bottle filling stations at the school.

“We’re thrilled to count Andover High School among the participants in the SEED fundraising drive,” said Gabe Shapiro, vice president of outreach programs at Next Step Living. “The new program at Next Step Living not only empowers students to lower the collective carbon footprint of their greater community, but also raises money to create lasting impact from a sustainable project in their schools.”

Representatives from Next Step Living and volunteers from AHS are hosting educational tables at retail and community events in Andover to discuss how energy-saving solutions might benefit the home. Residents will be able to schedule no-cost home energy assessments quickly and easily at these events and learn about other options to increase efficiency in the home.

For more information or sign up for an assessment visit GoodEner.gy/AndoverHigh or call 866-867-8729 and mention “Andover High School SEED” to schedule a no-cost home energy assessment.

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