More than 500 students across the region put their creativity to work in this year’s Bright Ideas Energy Efficiency Student Poster Contest and the Think! Energy Innovation Challenge, presented by PPL Electric Utilities. From colorful posters to inventive project submissions, students shared practical ways their communities can conserve energy and protect the environment.
Participants in both contests were students whose classes took part in hands‑on energy efficiency presentations. This year’s poster themes included recycling, reducing wasted electricity, choosing efficient lighting, the benefits of solar power, and simple everyday actions families can take at home.
Young creators from K–8 lead the way
Students in kindergarten through 8th grade submitted hundreds of posters to the Bright Ideas Energy Efficiency Student Poster Contest. The artwork highlighted students’ understanding of sustainability while also capturing their enthusiasm for conservation.
Grand prize winners earned a $100 gift card, a $100 teacher grant, and a classroom pizza or ice cream party. Honorable mention recipients received a $25 gift card and a class celebration as well.
This year’s teachers emphasized the lasting impact of sustainability education.
“My students and I would like to thank you for not only honoring us with a great celebration, but also inspiring them to make a difference in the world through energy conservation,” said Stacey Bottley, 2nd grade teacher at Drums Elementary. “Your program makes a difference in the choices they make. It provides them with the knowledge and opportunities to think first about their everyday actions.”
High‑school students innovate for the future
The Think! Energy Innovation Challenge invited 9th–12th grade students to create videos or artwork promoting water and energy efficiency. Teams of up to four students participated, and judges selected both grand prize and honorable mention winners. Each winning team member received wireless headphones.
PPL Electric Utilities celebrates the 2026 winners
PPL Electric Utilities is proud to continue supporting classrooms, teachers, and student innovators through these annual contests. Find the full list of winners below and enjoy their artwork here.
Poster contest pizza party at Drums Elementary School. Poster contest honorable mention (Julian) from Moscow Elementary School. Innovation Challenge honorable mentions (Jordan, Ari and Skylar) from Souderton Area High School. Innovation Challenge grand prize winners (Stella and Addisyn) from Susquenita High School.
Grades K–2
Grand Prize: Kaleesi (Ms. Stacey Bottley; Drums Elementary School)
When it comes to making your home more energy efficient, the first step doesn’t have to be complicated.
For many customers, a no‑cost Virtual Home Energy Assessment, paired with personalized insights from the Energy Analyzer, is the easiest and most effective way to get started. A trained energy advisor can look at the energy use in your home and suggest the best savings for you—maybe it’s an old fridge that needs to be recycled or electronic devices that need a smart power strip.
During a Virtual Assessment, our advisor reviews your home’s energy use, shows you where your dollars are going and provides practical, data-backed recommendations tailored to your household. With expert guidance and easy-to-use tools, you might uncover issues you didn’t know existed—and start to save right away.
Hear from a few other homeowners about their experiences.
“I followed up with a good portion of your assessment and my bill is almost half of what it was last July. I think the basement foam sealing and heat pump water heater were big factors.”
—Deborah
“I had the pleasure of talking with Jari today on a Virtual Home Energy Assessment call. I can’t imagine you get any negative feedback because he listened well and was helpful in his suggestions. Overall, it was a pleasant experience and I’m thankful for his service.”
—Aren
“Jari systematically walked me through the various aspects of our energy usage and how to better manage the heat pump for optimization. He asked pertinent questions regarding our energy-related behaviors and gave logical and practical recommendations that we will immediately act on. He pointed out the availability of data on the website that we can use to monitor our progress. I was very happy with this session.”
—Andrea
“Michael was not only knowledgeable regarding any topic we brought up, but he was kind, thorough and shared information and deadlines we didn’t know about. It was a truly pleasurable experience and, though I’m sure he treats all his calls equally, we felt taken care of and that Michael went above and beyond any expectations we had.”
—Gretchen
Stories like these show why a Virtual Assessment is such a smart place to start: It’s simple, personalized and gives you a clear picture of your home’s energy use. You’ll learn about available rebates and incentives—and get a free energy-saving kit shipped right to your door.
Ready to get started with your own Virtual Assessment?
You work hard for every dollar. We’re here to help you make it go further. Our Bill Toolkit brings together simple ways to manage your bill, set up payment plans that fit real life, access assistance and start saving energy right away.
Explore the Bill Toolkit to see all the ways we can help.
As the winter chill sets in, keeping your home warm and comfortable is top of mind. If you rely on electric heat, it may drive up your winter electric use. Proper maintenance and smart energy management can help you stay cozy and keep your winter heating use in check.
Make the most of your heating system with the tips and information below.
13 cold-weather savings tips
Baseboard heating tips:
Keep baseboard heaters clean. Regularly dusting and vacuuming the coils of your electric baseboard heaters can improve their efficiency. Dirty heaters require more energy to generate heat.
Avoid blocking the flow of warm air. Since electric baseboard heaters use convection and natural air currents to heat your space, it’s especially important to make sure that furniture, drapes and carpets are at least one foot away from them.
Verify that your thermostat is functioning correctly. A faulty thermostat can lead to inaccurate temperature readings and inefficient heating.
For older baseboard heating, consider upgrading to newer, energy-efficient heating systems, such as ductless heat pumps. They’re designed to provide better performance while using less electricity.
Tips for heat pumps:
Set your thermostat to remain at a constant temperature, and limit any adjustments to 3°F or less so your heat pump doesn’t run inefficiently to catch up. The DOE recommends setting HVAC systems to 68°F in the winter, or lower while you’re asleep or away.
Use “heat” mode for your heat pump’s temperature setting (instead of “auto”). Then set the heat pump fan on “auto.”
If you have a backup heating system, set your heat pump higher and the backup system lower so that the heat pump is doing most of the work. If your backup system is the only source of heating in places like your basement, be sure it’s set high enough so that pipes won’t freeze.
General energy efficiency:
Check for leaks and seal drafty areas of your home with weatherstripping or caulk. You can place draft stoppers at the bottom of doors to minimize heat loss.
Use your ceiling fans to move warm air around a room, allowing you to turn down your thermostat a few degrees and save energy.
Kitchen and bath exhaust fans can pull in cold air from the outside. Try to limit their use to no more than 20 minutes.
If your heating system uses ducts, be sure that the air-intake vents and all other vents are free of dust.
Keep an eye on your energy usage patterns. They can help you identify performance issues with your heating system or habits you may wish to adjust.
The post-holiday blues have just set in, and the winter bills are already piling up. The holiday season — with all its joy and happiness — can be expensive. We feel it, too.
But if you’re receiving higher-than-usual utility bills, we have some explanations, as well as resources to help you conserve and save throughout the rest of this cold winter.
Check out a few reasons your bill may run higher in January:
Colder temps
You may not recall the average temps during the hustle and bustle of the season, but the last month has been pretty chilly across Pennsylvania. If you have electric heat or use electric space heaters to supplement your primary heating source, it’s likely they were working overtime when the temps dropped. Check out ourEnergy Analyzer at pplelectric.com/EnergyAnalyzer to see how colder temps affect your usage and discover ways to save.
Holiday hosting and usage
Check out the daily usage graph for your most recent bill. Go back to the first day of your billing cycle and try to remember if the days between were any different than those in prior months. For instance, did you:
Host any holiday gatherings during the bill cycle in question?
Hang lots of Christmas lights or decorate your front lawn with inflatables?
Have extra visitors in your home plugging in additional electronics?
Cook a big family dinner or bake holiday cookies?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, they could be reasons your usage spiked.
The breakdown on bill cycles
Did you know an average bill cycle may range from 26 to 35 days? The number of days billed depends on a variety of things, such as the number of business days within the month. Bills for electric use in November and December tend to have more days than those during the rest of the year because of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday breaks. This may lead to a higher January bill even if, on average, you were using the same amount of electricity per day.
Budget Billing can help prevent the seasonal swings in your bill. The Budget program evens out your bill over 12 months and makes your payments more predictable. We’ll review your usage every three months to see if your budget amount needs adjustments. At the end of 12 months on the budget, we’ll settle the difference between your actual energy use and the amount you were billed. If you used more, we’ll bill you the difference. If you used less, we’ll credit your account.
Explore your options to save
Our Seasonal Savings Solutions offer resources to help you manage your bill, become more energy efficient and get payment assistance when you need it. Find the right combination of options to help you offset higher winter bills.
Manage your energy use:
Maintaining your energy use is an effective way to manage costs at any income level. From no-cost and low-cost tips to tools, programs and rebates on energy-efficient products, we can help you conserve and save.
Manage your bill:
With options like making your bill more predictable, finding tools to track your hourly, daily or monthly electricity use, setting bill alerts, shopping for a supplier and requesting more time to pay, choose the resources that are right for you.
Get help paying:
If you need help paying your bill, we’re here for you. We have programs and payment arrangements to help every family in need, regardless of income.
If you use more electricity over the winter, you’re not alone. Find the right combination of options to help you offset higher bills at pplelectric.com/SeasonalSavings.
New year, new goals. We all love a little self-improvement—so why not add some home-improvement habits too? Turn that newfound motivation into real energy savings with simple, no-cost ways to make your home more efficient every day. Take our quick quiz to pick your favorite tips—and find out what your energy-saving style says about you.
Save energy with bubble wrap! Want one more no-cost tip? Save that leftover bubble wrap—it’s a great alternative to a window insulation kit to seal drafty windows.*
Cut the bubble wrap to size.
Mist the glass with water.
Press the bubble side against it. The water’s surface tension will hold it in place all season.
See where you can save even more Uncover hidden opportunities to save with our Energy Analyzer—because when you know where your home uses energy, you can make small changes that really add up. With easy-to-read insights and tailored tips, you can turn everyday habits into meaningful savings all year long. Need a little extra help this winter? Visit our Bill Toolkit for easy-to-use tools and programs.
