Saving on Lighting Energy Activity Compare - Contrast bulbs
Directions: To be an effective energy saver, you must begin by gathering the facts.
Use the Energy
Saver$ site | Energy Efficiency | Comparison Chart CFL vs LED vrs Incandescent bulbs
and your online research skills to answer these questions. Earth 9/11
On January 27, 1880, the U.S. Patent Office granted Thomas Edison a patent for the carbon element in the electric lamp. We call them incandescent light bulbs. It had taken several inventors a couple decades to create the first, long working light bulb. It took more than 50 more years for most Americans to use incandescent light bulbs to light their homes.
In December 2007, the U.S. Energy Bill set a course to eliminate Edison's bulb.
| "Under the measure, all light bulbs must use 25 percent to 30 percent less energy than today’s products by 2012 to 2014. The phase-in will start with 100-watt bulbs in January 2012 and end with 40-watt bulbs in January 2014. By 2020, bulbs must be 70 percent more efficient." U.S. Energy Bill Phases Out Incandescent Light Bulb, Environmental Leader. Dec 18, 2007. |
Do this Comparison and Contrast Guide @ ReadWriteThink - online activity through Evaluate.
Tip: To work your way through click the right pointing arrow after reading each page.
Now that you know how to C&C:
1. Compare and contrast 5 factors regarding each of these types of lighting. (Make a Table How To: doc. | pdf)
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. |
2. Which one(s) will you buy for your home?
3. Other than saving money, what other issues may impact a consumer's choice of light bulb?
4. Calculate:
What would the cost be to replace 50% of the incandescent bulbs in your home with CFL's or LED bulb's?
What percentage of the lighting in your bedroom or classroom is not incandescent?
(Need help with calculating percents? Mathflix videos | Khan Academy)
5. Extended thinking:
What is daylighting?
How does it figure into this debate/decision?
TAI (Think about it?)
Why would electric companies and manufacturers of incandescent bulbs argue against these energy saving strategies?
| "Truth: Start-Up Power is Negligible - Like a car that needs a shot of gas when you start it, all lights draw a spike of current when they turn on in order to heat up a cold filament in an incandescent or to excite the gases used in fluorescents. But the start-up power lasts only for an instant, so the effect is negligible compared with the lamp's ongoing usage. If you turn off a fluorescent lamp for even an extra half hour a day, you can save about $4 over its life—enough to buy a replacement bulb. Frequent on-off cycles do cut down on the number of hours a lamp will light, but since it isn't being used as much, the lamp still lasts longer." Huber, Jeanne. 14 Household Myths Debunked This Old House Magazine. |
Become more enlightened about energy issues ...
CFL Bulbs: What you need to know | Better LED Light Bulb on the Way
How fluorescent lamps work | Lighting: LED Exit Sign
Bright ideas that Save Energy and Money - Consumer Reports
Energy Digital Video Project | Energy eGame | Energy Saving Survey - Chart - Take Action exercise
The Big Energy Gamble - NOVA free, online videos
Raquel Redshirt is a teen who is solving a problem for her family using the sun.
Garrett Yazzie, 13, invents solar heater for his family's home | Junk Yard Genius
High School Student is Biofuel Whiz-kid | 12-year-old Revolutionizes the Solar Cell
No Furnaces, but Heat Aplenty in ‘Passive Houses’ NYT 12/27/08
Saving Energy: Simple Changes, Big Impact | Einstein's Letter
series on PBS - Energy (Use the episodes drop down menu to see the videos)
Slay your energy vampires | How to Use Trees to Save Energy | Check out the Maine Solar House
Can We Run The World Off The Sun? NPR
Energy Alternatives Exploration | Renewable Energy | Smart Meter Plan | Energy Explained
Do the Alternative Energy Sources Project - pbl | sciencenetlinks | Environment Issues Game - problem based learning
Considering Energy use of Personal Electronics
"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence." Ralph Waldo Emerson
Internet Hunts / Nature / Water Studies / Computers / Puzzles & Projects / Pennsylvania Project / Problem Based Learning / Home
Activity created by Cindy O'Hora, Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. Posted 6/13/08
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 
, 
or other ornate artistic fonts). Save frequently as you work. Enter your name and the date in the document header. Submit your edocument via a class drop box or email attachment. Save a copy of your work on your computer.
Proof your responses. It is funny how speling errors and typeos sneak in to the bets work. 
Make Your Own Printed answer sheet.