Learning Objectives

After completing this lesson, students will be able to:

•Understand that collectively, our daily routines can have a significant environmental and economic impact.
•Identify several ways to reduce energy consumption in the home.
•Analyze a set of data for possible energy wasting activities and use that information to design a solution that results in higher energy efficiency.
•Present their solution to a problem in an organized and efficient manner.

Teaching Process

*See detailed instructions in the attached lesson plan*

In this module, students will learn the economic impacts of proper energy management and the benefits of energy efficient technologies. Students will perform a simplified energy audit of the school under the supervision of their instructor, then complete an energy audit of their home individually using provided data as well as data obtained through their own investigation. Students will then be divided into small groups to compile reports of their findings.

Exercises using the watt meter on day two of the module allows students to understand that electricity consumption can vary widely from appliance to appliance, and even within one appliance itself depending on use. Accompanying this part of the module would be a discussion regarding the appliance information labels that are supplied by the manufacturer. These labels are often good for providing basic information about appliances, including maximum amperage and voltage, but generally do not tell the whole story.

One goal of this module is that students will be able to discover, on their own, ways to conserve energy in their homes.

Assessment/Evaluation

Assessment Rubrics can be accessed on pages 8 and 9 of the attached lesson plan.