Education: High school students who become AEM Energy Champions acquire valuable real-world professional skills, expanding their future opportunities regardless of their chosen path. Through active participation as a professional energy consultant, this paid apprenticeship builds their foundation positioning them for more success in their next steps of employment or higher education.

Local Economy: Energy-literate, tech-savvy, motivated high school students empowered with superior energy data excel at inspiring adults to adopt energy-saving behaviors. These new behaviors are the cornerstone of the Shutdown with ENERGY STAR initiative, which fosters the growth of a high-performance energy conservation culture. This new culture quickly yields significant cost savings keeping more dollars circulating within the local economy sustaining avoided cost savings for decades into the future.

Environment: High school students leading the AEM Movement as AEM Energy Champions deploying Shutdown with ENERGY STAR across their community expanding the number of ENERGY STAR Certified buildings will have a huge impact in reducing CO2 emissions caused by commercial buildings. By creating a “Community of ENERGY STAR Certified Buildings”, the AEM Energy Champions are strengthening and preparing their community for their future.

As a team of AEM Energy Champions, high school students operate as an outsourced energy team supporting commercial building owners and operators in earning the prestigious ENERGY STAR Certification by implementing the AEM Shutdown with ENERGY STAR solution. This conservation solution aligns energy use with building activity focusing on turning off equipment when it is not needed.

Fact: Most commercial buildings are unoccupied for 40-60% of the 8,760 hours in a year, presenting the greatest opportunity for either wasting or saving energy.

Cost Savings: Partnering with high school students, as AEM Energy Champions, results in substantial energy use and cost reductions of 20-40%. The AEM Intern team, your outsourced energy management team, is funded by the cost savings your building achieves. To be clear, this program requires no capital investment.

Improved Workforce: Active participation in this real-world professional and local Workforce Development program significantly improves our high school student's education experience, which better prepares them for the job market (your potential future employees) and their future.

Environmental Impact: Joining the AEM Movement and partnering with AEM Energy Champions for your building to become ENERGY STAR Certified reduces your buildings energy use, cost and CO2 emissions. Combined with other local buildings in the quest to create a “Community of ENERGY STAR Certified Buildings”, your active involvement will have a substantial impact in the fight against climate change.

Community Engagement: Partnering, supporting, educating, and collaborating with high school students nurtures their engagement to help actively shape their community for a healthier and more robust future.

Turn-Key Solution: The AEM Movement and AEM Energy Champions outsourced energy management program is designed to a simple, easy to implement turn-key conservation program. This hassle-free approach enables commercial building owners and operators to participate without adding staff or extra costs. In short, there is no downside, only upside for partners who join the AEM Movement.