KENOSHA COUNTY ENERGY TEAM:Transformational Education at work

WHAT IS

TRANSFORMATIONAL EDUCATION?

CONTENT

RELATIONSHIP

Scholarship of Discovery, Integration,

Application of Knowledge

low

high

Information

FacilitationTransformational

Education

Content Transmission

high

PR

OC

ES

S

Adapted from Merrill Ewart Model, Process and Content

TRANSFORMATIONAL EDUCATION

6 Elements:1. Complex Concerns/Issues2. Communities of

Interest/Location/Issue/Diversity3. Capacity Building of Members of

Community of Interest4. Experimentation/Examination5. Evaluation6. Success

QUOTES FROM THE FIELD

“Team members are now specifically looking for opportunities to save energy

—to cut costs,to benefit the county.”Now people are thinking: Rather than ‘something

went wrong, we gotta fix it’ … instead now we stop and think—is there a better approach, should we

think about this differently?

The data point out inefficiencies so we can correct them…

Assistance from external partners has been invaluable—we could not have done it without

them… Our facilities staff is excellent but we didn’t have access to the tools before…

WHAT IS AN

ENERGY TEAM?

TEAM MEMBERSHIP

FinancePublic Works/FacilitiesExecutive’s OfficeUW-ExtensionUtilityFocus on EnergyPrivate Contractors (electrical engineers)State Energy Office

GOALS1. Budget allocation(s): Execute

projects2. Building performance: Manage

assets3. Maximize incentives: Receive

rebates4. Technical capacity: Build skills and

know-how

APPROACHES1. Morale: Balance plans with

accomplishment2. Learning Environments: Create ‘safe

space’3. Relationships: Build and sustain trust 4. Capacity-Building Over Time: We establish short-term goals and find our way step-by-

step“...one bite of the elephant at a time!”

FACILITATOR ROLE1. Drives consensus around priorities 2. Holds others accountable3. Works across ‘silos’4. Connects resources to needs5. Engages assistance from partners with

technical capacity6. Ensure data/information is paired with

analytic skills and interpersonal skills

CONTENT 1. Energy usage data (kWh)2. Asset management3. Lighting/HVAC/infrastructure systems4. Electrical distribution diagrams5. Focus on Energy incentive Information6. Efficiency recommendations

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:1. Team-Building, Network Development 2. Data Entry/Use/Maintenance into

Portfolio Manager; Benchmarking Energy Use

3. Level II Energy Assessments/Audits; Implementing Recommendations

4. Development of Grant Funding Opportunities

QUOTES FROM THE FIELD

County Board of Supervisors and County Executive have been very supportive;

encouraging us to do more of this work…

Several people are looking at rebates and incentives from Focus on Energy—before it was just one guy, now it’s a team effort

…Specialized knowledge helps us make better decisions…

Assistance from eternal partners has been invaluable—we could not have done it without them. This would

have never happened without them!

CONTENT

RELATIONSHIP

Scholarship of Discovery, Integration,

Application of Knowledge

low

high

Information

FacilitationTransformational

Education

Content Transmission

high

PR

OC

ES

S

Adapted from Merrill Ewart Model, Process and Content

• Complex Issue• Community of

Interest• Capacity

building• Experimentatio

n• Evaluation• Success

TRANSFORMATIONAL EDUCATION

6 Elements:1. Complex Concerns/Issues2. Communities of

Interest/Location/Issue/Diversity3. Capacity Building of Members of

Community of Interest4. Experimentation/Examination5. Evaluation6. Success

THANK YOU!