Hands-on Energy EfficiencyPrint1234567
Page 10: Shade Keeps It Cool
Objective: Demonstrate heat transfer through glass windows.
Background/Discussion: Ask: Why does the inside of a car get so hot if it sits in the sun with all the windows closed? (Heat from the sun enters through the windows and heats the inside.) Explain that the same thing can happen with building windows.
The Window Test: The thermometer placed in the sun will show a significantly higher temperature. Results probably will be most dramatic if the activity is conducted using brightly lit south-facing windows during the sunniest part of the day. A distinct difference between the two windows can be detected even if the weather is cool, as long as the sun is bright.
Page 11: Save Energy on Heating and Cooling
Objective: Understand how adjusting indoor air temperatures can save energy.
Background/Discussion: Why should you set the thermostat lower during winter? (You will use less energy for heating.) Why set it higher during summer? (You will use less energy for cooling.)
Life without AC or Heat: Encourage students to interview older friends or family who may have used different technologies to stay warm or cool. Have students share their findings with the class. (Students may report stories about people using stand-alone gas heaters, wood-burning stoves and fireplaces, or coal or oil furnaces to heat the indoors during winter; electric fans, swamp coolers, and dips in a nearby creek during summer.)
Safety Note: There is a danger of fire or carbon monoxide poisoning if people use unventilated gas, kerosene, or charcoal-burning devices indoors. Use only appliances specifically designed for indoor heating.
Pages 12-13: Be an Energy Detective
Objective: Identify ways to save energy in the kitchen and bathroom.
Background/Discussion: Go over the energy-saving tips on these two pages with students Ask: If the power goes out, what’s the best way to make sure the food in the refrigerator stays cold as long as possible? (Keep the door closed.) Why does reducing hot water use in the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room help reduce energy use? (It takes energy to heat water, so if you use less hot water you use less energy.)
Perform Your Own Inspection: Ask students to observe their family for a week before compiling their lists.
Inspire Your Household: Provide students with poster board, markers, scissors, and tape to use in creating their signs. Let students vote on the most inspiring, funniest, or most artistic signs and posters.
Page 14: Save Energy at School
Objective: Identify ways to save energy at school.
Background/Discussion: Go through the energy-saving tips on this page with students.
Energy Savers Teams: Give each team a different area of the school to investigate. Invite the class to compose a short letter to the principal to accompany their list of suggestions.
Page 15: You Have the Power
Objective: Identify energy-saving actions students can take as individuals.
Background/Discussion: Ask students to share their ideas about what each person can do to help save energy.
How Can You Help? Have each student choose one or two actions and make an “Energy Saver’s Resolution” to follow through on those actions. After a month has passed, ask students to report on how well they are keeping their resolutions.
Back Cover
Objective: Communicate important energy conservation tips to family members.
Background/Discussion: Why should you share the tips on this back cover with your family? (You might find ways that you and your family could save money and help the environment.)
Homework: Ask students to take this list home and to try out the tips with their families. Emphasize that the dollar savings figures are estimates, and students’ actual savings will vary based on their household’s energy use habits. (For example, a family that already uses only cold water for their laundry will not notice savings on their energy bill by continuing that practice; however, a family that washes all clothing in hot water and then switches to cold water will probably notice a difference.)