School Uplift: Investing in our future.

TVA EnergyRight's School Uplift supports public schools in the region by offering energy efficiency training and grants that reduce energy costs and improve the quality of the learning environment.

Two kids in a classroom standing in front of a whiteboard, smiling at the camera

We’re open for enrollment.

Interested in bringing School Uplift to your school at no cost? Raise your hand, we want to hear from you! We’re already recruiting public schools throughout the region for the 2025-26 school year. We hope you’ll join us.
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It all adds up.

School Uplift is making a big impact on the region. Teachers, administrators and students across the Valley are all working hard to save big on energy. Each year we help approximately 100 public schools lower their energy bills with no-cost energy-saving practices that reduce energy costs by 10%. So far, 225 grants have been awarded and we’re looking forward to awarding even more in the future! TVA is investing over $3 million each year in School Uplift to make sure this grade-A work continues.

The heartbeat of every community is in its schools.

Take a look at how School Uplift makes schools a brighter, safer and happier place to learn and grow. Reducing energy waste means getting more of what your school needs most, like books, teaching materials and educational technologies.

The ABCs of School Uplift.

Active energy management training.

Participating public schools receive behavior-based strategic energy management (SEM) training. Promote engagement from faculty and students with easy, actionable energy saving tips and energy efficiency practices.

Building stronger communities.

Together, we can do even more. School Uplift energizes students, families, teachers, business owners and state-wide leaders, uniting them with a common cause: improving local schools and the communities they serve.

Competitive and need-based grants.

Participating public schools compete among their annual cohort to become eligible for grants for much-needed energy upgrades to improve the learning environment.

Give It a Listen

Turning schools into energy efficient powerhouses

What happens when a mechanical engineer turns his attention to empowering schools and communities? Our own Clay Hoover gives the answer on the Energy Beat Podcast, hosted by AESP, an educational nonprofit advancing the energy industry through its community of clean energy professionals and utility providers. Listen in as Clay describes how School Uplift is helping over 100 public schools each year lower their energy costs and improve the learning environment.

The power of saving energy.

School Uplift has already awarded dozens of grants across the region. Learn more about how a few of our participating schools put their funds to good use.

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Pickett County K8

Located in the Cumberland Plateau region of Tennessee, Pickett County K8 received a grant from School Uplift and used the funds to install a new dedicated outdoor air system unit with an energy recovery ventilator system for hallways and classrooms, two packaged terminal air conditioners with ventilation for classrooms, and LED lighting throughout the school.

Teen studying in library with college age friends

H.W. Byers High School

North Mississippi’s Holly Springs is home to H.W. Byers High School, where a hard-working team of Energy Champions and committed students helped the school receive a much-needed grant for energy efficiency upgrades. The school chose to install LED lighting, apply window film to help prevent solar heat gain and minimize glare, and replace weatherstripping on exterior doors.

kid holding sign that says

Power Center Academy Hickory Hill High School

The Power Center Academy is part of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools district and serves over 600 students in Memphis, Tennessee. The Academy put their grant to good use by installing LED lighting, skylights and daylight dimming controls. They also retrofitted their makeup air unit with a premium efficiency motor/blower and installed high-efficiency air conditioning units, vending machine controls, an energy management system and an ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) unit.

10%

Annual energy reduction

$13k

Average annual savings per school

$200K

Maximum grant amount

Improving focus

With LED Lighting

Breathing easier

With better ventilation

Elevating moods

With brighter classrooms

Close up of students completing homework, cropped in on hand filling out worksheet

We did our homework.

Improving energy efficiency in schools results in substantial environmental, economic and education benefits.

  • Through strategic energy management and efficiency upgrades, the first 160 participating schools are projected to save $8.1 million.
  • Energy efficiency upgrades and improved ventilation and filtration help keep students and teachers healthy by enhancing indoor air quality.
  • LED lighting upgrades brighten up the classroom and can lift energy levels, improve focus and increase student productivity and test scores.

2025-26 participating public schools

Be a part of the energy-saving action.

Join us! Our local power company partners are already signing schools up for the 2025-26 school year.

Interested in supporting School Uplift?

Thanks to our partners at Energy Efficient Schools Initiative (EESI), School Uplift is already making an impact on generations to come by matching TVA EnergyRight’s grants to public schools. If you’d like to invest in the future of our region, we’d love to hear from you.

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