Three energy auditing processes
Information for teachers and students
Investigations focusing on energy use are commonly used in many primary and
secondary schools within the context of Science or Environmental Education.
Energy audits are a valuable tool in these investigations as part of the learning
sequence.
There are three types of energy audits typically used in schools as part of energy
education programs.
Quarterly, monthly consumption figures.
This method uses data from energy bills. It allows schools to identify baseline
consumption and identifies trends over time. A single reading provides information
for a point in time for the schools energy use. Collecting data over an extended time
allows students to identify base line usage and seasonal patterns of energy use.
Resources

Your schools energy bills

School energy use calculator provides energy consumption, cost and CO2
figures as well as daily average and per student (Xcell)
Auditing of appliances.
This audit allows schools to look at individual appliances in a school that generate
energy use. Students use this type of audit if they are developing suggestions to
reduce energy use by individual appliances or are looking at infrastructure
improvements.
Resources

Appliance survey sheet organises data on the number of appliances in the
school (Word)

Appliance costs calculator provides data on the total amount of energy and
single or all of the school’s appliances and calculates costs and CO2 figures.
(Xcell)
Daily measurements.
Taking single of multiple measurements through the day from the metre or on line is
still one of the most accurate ways to monitor energy use. This method allows
schools to identify patterns of use in the course of a normal school day. Students
can make assessments of the activities in a school that consume energy and for
those schools with solar panels energy generation.
Schools can then develop strategies and propose new procedures that may reduce
resource consumption. Multiple measurements provide a much higher level of detail
due to increased frequency and allows the school to identify a wide range of factors
of baseline usage, season, daily and out of school hours use. These readings can
be taken manually however new electronic metres are increasingly used for this.
Resources

School electricity metre – manual readings.

Webgraphs – DEC schools have access to Webgraphs for access and use
advice www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/env_ed/teaching/focus/energy.
htm or www.webgraphs.com.au

Inverter and electronic display for solar panels in the school
More information

DEC Assets – Environment & Sustainability (DEC intranet)
https://detwww.det.nsw.edu.au/assetmanagement/envisust/index.htm

Sustainable Schools NSW
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/sustainableschools/teach/energyteach.ht
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