On Thursday, October 30, Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) joined the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to celebrate Perea Elementary School's $210,000 award from TVA's School Uplift program.
The grant is part of TVA’s regional initiative aimed at helping schools save money and enhance learning environments through energy-efficient upgrades. Many school districts face tight budgets and aging facilities, often forcing them to choose between investing in classrooms and making necessary building improvements. Since 2021, TVA has invested $8.2 million in School Uplift grants, which have assisted over 320 schools in reducing energy costs, allowing them to reinvest the savings back into education.
School Uplift offers a year-long energy management training program designed to help schools make more informed energy choices. Schools that participate have the opportunity to compete for grants ranging from $10,000 to $200,000 by reducing energy waste through behavioral changes and by involving students, staff, and their communities.
“School Uplift is another example of how MLGW and TVA are partnering to invest in our community,” said MLGW President and CEO Doug McGowen. “This grant will allow school administrators to enhance their facilities, making them more energy-efficient, healthy, and comfortable for teachers and students. The faculty, staff, and students showed outstanding dedication to energy efficiency throughout the past school year and truly earned this recognition through their hard work.”
According to TVA, schools that participate in the program have, on average, saved nearly 10 percent on their annual energy bills simply by changing their behaviors. When these savings are combined with improvements funded by grants, the total energy savings for this year’s participants reached an estimated 5.5 gigawatt-hours—enough electricity to power more than 800 homes for a year.
“Every dollar invested in our schools helps districts allocate resources to what truly matters – providing quality education for our children,” said Ray Knotts, TVA vice president of Demand Management. “We’re proud of the winners of this year’s School Uplift grants, who are dedicated to reducing energy waste and building a stronger, more sustainable future.”
MLGW and TVA EnergyRight's School Uplift plan to continue recruiting K–12 schools for future participation in the program. Schools interested in joining for the 2026–2027 academic year can learn more at EnergyRight.com/school-uplift or contact MLGW Key Accounts representative Natasha Rosko at nrosko@mlgw.org.