Let’s Turn the Lights OFF!

Are you still using subject matter experts to lecture consumers about renewable energy and energy conservation? If your answer is “yes,” then I have another question for you: “What percentage of those consumers are actually taking action?”

I can answer that for you: A very small percentage.

Why?

Because lectures may provide information, but they don’t check for comprehension or help consumers feel confident in their ability to implement what they’ve heard.

Yes, what they’ve “heard,” not what they’ve actually “learned.” Because learning requires putting new skills into practice.

If we are going to move this country toward renewable energy and greater energy conservation efforts, consumers need to know exactly what to do, how to do it, and then practice doing it before they leave the training session. Otherwise, the training session is a waste of time and money.

The National Compressed Air Challenge recognized that war stories from subject matter experts weren’t making a difference in compressed air practices.

Compressed air is not free. But for years, industry personnel left compressed air equipment running when not in use. They also installed the wrong air compressors or didn’t maintain the right air compressors correctly. Why? Because they didn’t understand how the air compressor system worked or the costs associated with their poor practices.

The Challenge learned that skill-building learning activities were much more effective than lectures in making an observable and measurable difference in compressed air usage and cost savings.

We still needed subject matter experts to conduct the training. But before they could do that, the experts needed to learn why actively involving participants in the training was important and how to effectively facilitate the skill-building activities. We expanded their training expertise far beyond lecturing.

The training materials and worksheets also made a difference. A U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Evaluation found that:

A very high portion of end-users reported using materials directly from the training in making efficiency improvements to their compressed air systems. Also, the majority (85%) of vendor participants have used CAC training workshop materials or information when they evaluate customer compressed air systems.

The training delivered over $80 in energy savings for every dollar spent by DOE and was its highest rated training program.

I was responsible for designing this training and then teaching the subject matter experts how to facilitate the training.

If you seriously want to make a difference in consumer energy usage, train them so they will implement what they learn. Contact me.