Frequently Asked Questions

About the program and activities

The Watt Watchers of Texas program is administered by the University of Texas at Austin and distributed by Disco Learning Media. The program is sponsored by the Texas State Energy Conservation Office (SECO).

Students, teachers, families – anyone can use the online website and form a Watt Watchers of Texas patrol. An example could be a classroom studying an energy unit, an energy related extra curricular group, or even a service organization or after school group. Parents and community leaders may also use activities or lesson plans contained on this site to inform a conversation about conservation or to save energy and money outside of school.

Watt Watchers of Texas is an online collection of resources that is accessible 24/7. For student patrols, groups can patrol before and after school, once a week, during their energy unit, or whenever it will fit into your schedule. Other activities and projects are appropriate for in-class or homework assignments throughout the year as appropriate for your lesson plans.

The training and support necessary for the Watt Watchers of Texas program are absolutely free, thanks to funding from SECO, and they are all available on this site. Explore to find curriculum supplements, lesson plans, and projects for all grades K-12, and much more.

Why should administrators and staff work to save energy? One answer is money. Reducing school energy costs can increase dollars available in the school district budget for educational uses. From a global perspective, saving energy saves natural resources and reduces associated environmental problems.

Energy efficiency is everyone’s responsibility. School is a significant part of the student’s world, and the Watt Watcher program is a proven method of teaching energy efficient habits while reducing school electric bills. Our energy future depends on decisions students will make about energy use; Watt Watchers gives them the opportunity to make a difference now by “doing something” for their school.

This website includes the sequence of steps for organizing and implementing Student Patrols Programs as well as tickets, thank you notes, patrol records, student contracts, and other materials for teaching and motivating students and staff. Copy and distribute the material as freely as needed. Remember, it is all free to your school. Even if Student Patrols are not the right fit for your school or this semester, the wide range of lessons, activities, and projects can supplement in-class teaching and learning and take the lessons learned into the real world.

You can download and print any materials for free from this website. You may want to keep in mind the environmental implications of printing and reprinting online resources. If you do need further assistance you can contact us by email at contact@watt-watchers.com. We will update this site routinely with updated information regarding teacher training, events, or updated resources.

About the CPE courses

The courses are produced by The University of Texas at Austin’s Webber Energy Group, under the leadership of Dr. Michael E. Webber.

The Watt Watchers of Texas program, led by Dr. Michael E. Webber at The University of Texas at Austin in partnership with SECO, Itron, Inc., and H-E-B’s Our Texas, Our Future initiative, developed these courses to address two needs:

  1. To provide teachers with free, accredited CPE opportunities, and
  2. To equip educators with energy and water literacy, curriculum and resources that foster conservation awareness and workforce readiness in students.

The Watt Watchers of Texas program is made possible through funding and support from the Texas State Energy Conservation Office (SECO), Itron, Inc., H-E-B’s Our Texas, Our Future initiative. Their sponsorship allows The University of Texas at Austin to provide high-quality professional development courses to teachers free of charge.

Yes. Each course is certified by The University of Texas at Austin to provide one (1) hour of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credit per course.

Upon finishing a course, participants should receive an email to their registered address with the official certificate of completion from The University of Texas at Austin. You may also download your certificates from your Profile page or the Course page. Certificates may then be submitted to districts for CPE credit recognition.

Yes. Certificates fulfill Texas CPE standards in accordance with TEA requirements.

At this time, no. These courses are primarily designed to provide teachers with advanced energy saving and conservation education, while providing free CPE credit hours. However we hope to have these aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) in the future.

Not at this time. However, teachers may track their own individual course progress through their Profile page. 

Yes. Our online courses are open to all educators at no cost. Upon completion, you will receive an official certificate of completion from The University of Texas at Austin. While Texas teachers are guaranteed Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credit based on TEA standards, teachers outside Texas should check with their school district or state licensing agency to confirm whether the certificate will be accepted for professional development credit.

Yes. Watt Watchers welcomes input from teachers, districts, and education leaders. If you have a course idea, please send it to contact@watt-watchers.com. All proposals are reviewed by the Webber Energy Group and The University of Texas at Austin team. While not every idea can be developed immediately, submissions help guide our future course planning.

If login issues occur, please confirm that your credentials are entered correctly and reset your password if necessary. Persistent issues may be reported to the Watt Watchers support team at contact@watt-watchers.com

If a certificate does not appear in your Profile page, via email, or download correctly:

  1. Verify that the course was completed in full.
  2. Re-login to the learning platform and attempt to locate the certificate.
  3. Confirm that email notifications have not been filtered to spam/junk folders.
  4. If problems persist, please contact the Watt Watchers support team at contact@watt-watchers.com