How to save the environment one school at a time with an energy conservation project.

©2012 by Laura Davis

What’s the big deal about conserving heat and electricity?

Because it’s a

keeper

Coal-fired power plants

generate 71% of Colorado’s electricity.

The toxins from these power plants

Can cause heart and lung disease

and exacerbate global warming.

At last inspection, Colorado’s coal-fired electric plants were cited with violating the Clean Water Act

86 times

And fined $0

Warning Conserve electricity and heat

Why conserve heat?

Among commercial buildings, education buildings are the

3rd highest consumers of energy. On average, 36% of

that energy is electricity and 40% comes from natural gas.

Why conserve natural gas?

One reason is, its impact on the environment.

Natural gas is mostly methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Wastewater from shale gas production is not yet regulated.

Some natural gas is produced by “fracking”, a practice that concerns many.

Conserving energy means lower utility bills!

Before After

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

utility

bill??

Wouldn’t you rather spend your money on something else?

It has an impact on our environment, our health, and our budgets.

Recap: why is it important to conserve heat and electricity?

As teachers, we can cause a reduction in energy consumption, one school at a time...

While our students learn & practice these skills:• teamwork• research• data collection• critical thinking• presenting

What you’ll need:• Students (7th - 12th grade)• Infrared laser thermometers• Watts-up or kill-a-watt meters• Plenty of time

First get them interested with “energy quizzes” & sharing

factoids about our energy usage.

How much of our electricity is generated by burning coal????

Next, in small groups or pairs, have them research relevant topics.

One topic can be the effects of coal mining on the environment, public health, and the economy.

One topic can be the effects of coal-fired power plants on the environment,

public health, and the economy.

One group can research natural gas production, use, and impact on our economy.

One group can research global warming as it relates to energy consumption.

One group can research conservation strategies that other schools have used.

One group can learn how to use the equipment and then teach the other students.

Data collection can be planned by a

small group, or by the class as a whole.

It helps to map out the building and decide how to get a sampling

Differences between interior and exterior walls can give an

indication of how well the building is insulated.

The students take temperature readings.

They need to carefully record the data, noting location, time of day, outside temperature and weather.

The kill-a-watt meters provide data about energy usage. The students can connect it to an entire power strip in an office area, a single

computer, or any other electrical device.

They need to carefully record the data, noting location, length of time it was

connected and any other relevant notes.

Once all the hard data has been collected, the students can

depict it with charts or graphs.

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They can also look at historical utility data. Students use this data to determine average price per kilowatt hour and btu or therm.

The next step is to conduct a survey of faculty and staff asking them how many electrical devices they use and how they

would conserve energy in the building.

Energy usage can be reduced by 10% just by getting people to track their energy consumption.

Next, students analyze the “soft data” from the survey, and “hard data” from the utility records, temperature recordings, and kill-a-watt meters.

They talk about the data and devise an energy conservation strategy for the school.

The strategy might include behavioral changes or installation of energy efficient equipment.

Next it’s time to present their findings. How they present and to whom, is up to you. They could make a video, posters, oral presentation, written presentation...

Now it’s time to celebrate, calculate the future savings and think about how to spend it!

Recap! This project is student-driven according to the students’ skill level.

1. Get students thinking about the relevance of energy consumption in the U.S.

2. Students collect hard data with temperature readings and with kill-a-watt or watts-up meters.

3. Students survey custodians, teachers, and other students about energy usage in the building.

4. Students represent the data visually.

5. Students analyze their data along with past utility data.

6. Students devise an energy conservation strategy for the school.

7. Students calculate potential savings using average cost per kilowatt hour and therm.

8. Students present their findings and their strategy to classmates, principal, and/or school board.

Image creditsThe images in slides 1, 2, 9, 10, 14, 24, 26, 27, 32, 33, 34, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, & 47 were created by Laura Davis.

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