cfl Saving on Home Energy Use Activity

Directions: To be an effective energy saver, you must begin by gathering the facts.

Listen to: Saving Energy: Simple Changes, Big Impact
Use the Energy Savers site and the Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings to answer these questions.

1. List the common ways people use energy in their homes.
Beside each one write the percentage of the total utility use in a typical home.

a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

Which use consumes the most money in a family's budget?

 

2. Your family decides to reduce the use of energy in your home. For each use you listed above, describe one action that can be taken to reduce energy use. Start with the highest energy use and work to the least use.

a. Use -

Action -

 

b. Use -

Action -

 

c. Use -

Action -

 

d. Use -

Action -

 

e. Use -

Action -

 

3. Determine how much attic insulation a home needs that is built in northern Minnestoa.
(Use the Map and the Chart located in the lower portion of the web page.)

 

Hypothesis - How much insulation do you predict is needed for a home in Alabama?

 

Get the facts using the map and chart. Was your hypothesis correct?

 

What do you predict is the amount of insulation recommended for your community?

 

4. The government has passed a law that gives a tax credit to people who switch to solar heating for hot water.
Your family makes the switch. Your family's average energy costs are $250 per month.
How much money you do anticipate your family will be saving in a year?

 

Write one other way to save money on hot water costs.

 

5. Write two negatives and one positive about windows and home energy use.

 

 

 

6. For Mother's Day and Father's Day you decide to get your parents each a tree.
You decide to select trees and place them to help save energy in your home.

How can a tree(s) help save energy in a building?

 

 

 

Based on this information, on which side of your school would you advise planting
evergreen trees to help the school save energy.

 

Your classroom gets uncomfortably warm in the afternoons. Principal Green says
they cannot afford to add air conditioning to the building.

What low energy use alternatives do you suggest?

 

 

7. Daylighting will reduce your electricity use.

What is daylighting?

 

Assess - Can it be done in your room at home?

Estimate - What percentage of the time could your math class use daylighting?

In which of your classes could you use daylighting?

 

8. My kitchen faces north. It has one small window over the sink. It is almost always dark in the kitchen.
This means turning on a light most of the time. I have decided to install a tubular skylight.

What are the advantages of a tubular skylight?

 

 

9. When purchasing appliances, what costs should a consumer take into consideration?

 

Coming to a conclusion.
You have learned about many ways that we can control and reduce our energy use.
Which ways(s) will you adopt yourself. Why?

 

Extened thinking and explorations:

Do the - Energy Light bulbs compare/contrast Activity

Energy Saving - Survey - Chart - Action exercise | Energy Digital Video Project | Energy eGame

Watch the video about Raquel Redshirt and how she is solving a problem for her family using the sun.

Considering Energy use of Personal Electronics new

How sunshine and soda cans help a Denver community cut heating bills new

Adventures in renewable energy technology

Watch Green Energy online videos | Mapping Renewable Energy, Rooftop by Rooftop - Time, 12/22/08

Slay your energy vampires | Is the Answer Blowing in the Wind - Siting a Wind Farm project

Garrett Yazzie, 13, invents solar heater for his family's home

Maine Solar House = already there | No Furnaces but Heat Aplenty in ‘Passive Houses’ NYT 12/27/08

The Big Energy Gamble - NOVA online videos | Gassing Up With Garbage

States and Energy Initiatives video Governors Association Conf. CSPAN | Energy Information Office Official Statistics of US Government

US Senate Hearing on Energy Security - multiple plans and issues discussed | Can We Run The World Off The Sun? NPR

e2 icon series on PBS - Energy (Use the episodes drop down menu to see the videos)

Hydrogen Powers Family's car and home | Powering a town with manure

Nova Science Now - Fuel Cells - Hydrogen fuel cell cars promise pollution-free driving, but will we see them anytime soon?

The New Power Generation Wired May 2005. | Energy Explained | US DOE Solar Decathlon

Alaska: The Senator and the Oil Man | Who killed the electric car? | The Sun - renewable energy source activity

Repower America project | Pickens Plan | Learn about clean coal technology | Einstein's Letter

Energy Alternatives Exploration | Renewable Energy | Smart Meter Plan | Energy Sources

Energy Plans and their Impact on you | Do the Alternative Energy Sources Project - pbl

ScienceNetLinks | Environment Issues Game - problem based learning

Internet Hunts / Nature / EcoStudy - Fields & Meadows / Puzzles & Projects / Pennsylvania Project / Problem Based Learning / Home

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Activity created by Cindy O'Hora, Freely use this activity. Posted 7/8/07 Updated 3/2014

tree icon Save a tree - use a Digital Answer Format - Highlight the text. Copy it. Paste it in a word processing document. Save the document in your folder. Answer on the word processing document in a contrasting color (not yellow) or font (avoid blackmore, brodfont dear or other ornate artistic fonts). Save frequently as you work. I have never lliked losing my work. You will not like it either. Be sure to enter your name & the date at the top of the document. Submit via email attachment or class dropbox. Bad things happen: Save a copy of the response document for your records.

Proof read your responses. It is funny how speling errors and typeos sneak in to the bets work. smiling icon Make Your Own Printed answer sheet.