9.1 Extensions
9.1 Extensions
1.2 Electricity Generation, Transmission and Distribution
What is a Power
Plant?
Speak to your local power company about obtaining educational videos surrounding hydropower, wind power, geothermal power, and solar power. Take a field trip to visit and tour a power plant
What is the Power
Grid?
Students can review the California ISO website daily and report to the rest of the school on Today’s
Outlook and conservation tips during regular school announcements. www.caiso.com
1.3 Energy Consumption by Building Types
Design Your Own
Zero Energy Home
2.1 Energy Metrics
Technology showcases by students. Students will research approaches for their specific buildings, and put together presentations.
Energy
Equivalency
Students conduct research into one energy equivalency of their choice. To spread awareness of the matter, students write articles for the school newspaper or a short daily announcement about school energy consumption and the equivalency benefit of saving energy.
Carbon Offset
Presentations
Carbon Neutral
School Fundraiser
Solar Hot Water
Research
Students research the concept of carbon offsets and debate their pros and cons and their role in carbon neutrality. Next, students go online to the PG&E Climate Smart program, Terra Pass, or another company that sells carbon offsets to determine how much it would cost for the school to be climate neutral (based on 1 kWh per square foot). Students can write a letter to the School Board on their findings.
Students organize a fundraiser to purchase carbon offsets or trees to sequester the school’s carbon footprint.
Students research the cost of a solar how water heater and calculate how many years it will take until the savings from switching from an electric system pays for the cost of installing the solar system.
2.2 Utilizing Meters and Energy Bills
School Fundraiser Have a fundraiser to purchase and install smart meters/real-time meters at your school. With your school’s newly acquired smart meter/real-time meter (either through a fundraiser or by obtaining a donation from a local vendor), hold an energy competition with the school by tracking energy usage of different sections of the school. See who can achieve the most energy reductions by a specified date.
Extended Daily
Meter Readings
Have students conduct daily meter readings at different times of day. Determine what the peak hours are for your school. Utilize ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to benchmark school energy performance. Enter school energy data into this tool to compare the school's energy performance to a national school energy benchmark. High performing schools can receive the Energy Star Label.
District Energy
Consumption
Comparison https://energystar.webex.com/mw0305l/mywebex/default.do?siteurl=Energy
Lead the class in a district wide energy consumption evaluation. The class will assess and graph the
EUI from the past school year for all the schools in their district. Energy records can be easily obtained through the utility. Students will put this information in bar graphs to easily compare the schools: electricity usage (kWh), gas use (Therms), EUI and the cost spent. This is a great tool that can be used as a baseline, for year-over-year analysis. Students will present this information to the
School District and provide a list of recommended actions that each school can take to reduce their

9.1 Extensions energy consumption.
School Energy
Competition
Based on the District Energy Consumption Comparison data hold an energy competition among the schools in the District. Schools that can reduce their school's energy consumption by the highest percentage would be honored.
3.1 Electrical Devices/Phantom Loads
Class Plug Load and Phantom
Load Audit
Measuring Energy
Consumption
Using Watt Meters
Vending Miser /
Snack Miser
Survey
Provide students with a copy of Global Implications of Standby Power Use for reading. Discuss student thoughts as a class. Provide students with the handout: “A Standby Power Worksheet: How
Much Standby Power Is Your Home Using Each Year?”
While researching similar device models, have students compile a report stating the energy savings of a similar, more energy efficient device to the school’s device assessed. Have students compare the energy usage between the two models in addition to current rebates and report to the school board to try to get new devices installed at the school.
Conduct an inventory of cold beverage and snack machines on the high school campus and other campuses in the school district. . Utilize the energy calculator to determine savings by installing
Vending Misers. Look at rebates urrently $90 per Miser, and calculate simple payback. Develop a report and submit findings to principal and/or District. http://www.usatech.com/energy_management/energy_vm.php
http://pge.com/includes/docs/pdfs/mybusiness/energysavingsrebates/incentivesbyindustry/09catalogform_refrigeration.pdf
http://www.usatech.com/energy_management/energy_vm.php
3.2 Lighting
Determining
Energy Costs of
Exit Lights
Daylighting:
School Plan
Daylighting
Expand student calculations of annual energy usage of exit lights to encompass an entire decade.
Have students start a school plan that promotes daylighting. Because cafeterias generally have a lot of windows, have students gather data on the energy savings realized when turning off the lights in the cafeteria during lunchtime and using natural light (through windows) instead. Allows students to compile a report and present a the plan to the school requiring “lights out lunches.” This way, students can help the school save money, and still be able to eat comfortably with natural lighting.
Have students read about light shelves and then survey the school to determine where light shelves might be installed. A light shelf is a horizontal shelf positioned (usually above eye level) to reflect daylight onto the ceiling and to shield direct flare from the sky. One good source on light shelves is from a chapter in The Energy Efficiency Manual, by Donald Wulfinghoff. Students can read this chapter http://www.energybooks.com/pdf/10001005.pdf
Choose a Light
Hobo data-logger activity
Introduce students to ENERGY STAR’s Choose a Light website for students to share with their families: http://www.drmediaserver.com/CFLGuide/index.html
Your utility may have HOBO ‘light on/off’ data loggers to lend, or you can purchase for under $100.
These devices allow you to track the usage of lighting (i.e., how frequently lights are turned off or on) over time to accurately determine energy consumption. One study may be to place HOBO dataloggers in an area (e.g., restroom, break room) where lights are manually switched on or off.
From this study you may recommend the use of occupancy sensors to shut the lights off when the room is not in use. http://www.onsetcomp.com/search/compare-products/U11-001-vs-U9-001-vs-U9-002-vs-U9-004
Delamping Small groups can conduct more de-lamping assessments in classrooms and common areas around the school by utilizing light meters and the IES recommendations (Handout 3.2.8) to create a map and savings calculations. Following completion of these assessments, students can present their findings to school or District administrators.
3.3 Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and Water Heating

9.1 Extensions
Determining
Energy Costs of
Expand student calculations of annual energy usage of exit lights to encompass an entire decade.
Exit Lights
3.4 Building Envelope
Weatherization
Field trip
Weatherization report
Contact a local weatherization provider to arrange for a student site visit to see weatherization in practice
Students complete a weatherization measure at home or a neighbor’s house or a senior’s house or at the local housing authority and write a report on what they did, why they did it, what they expect in savings (Note: this might require some out-of-pocket expense, but most weatherization measures are very in-expensive. Or, utility might donate)
4.1 Pre-Audit Activities
Compare Energy
Action Plans for
Small Businesses,
Commercial
Businesses, and
Residences
4.2 The Walk-Through
After having developed small business energy action plans, students consider the modifications that would be needed to develop energy action plans for commercial and residential sectors. They develop action plans for these two sectors, specifically looking at: How would the interview differ?
How would the audit differ? How would the report differ?
Mock Energy Audit
Interview at School
Select one or two areas within the school to perform a practice energy audit interview. Arrange for a teacher or classified employee to be available to answer questions about energy use, performance, etc. Have students use the client questionnaire they developed in class to interview the teacher or school employee.
Determining
Energy Costs of
Exit Lights
Expand student calculations of annual energy usage of exit lights to encompass an entire decade.
4.3 Analysis and Reporting
Energy Products
Rebate Matrix
Students compile rebate information from the class homework in 4.3 where students researched rebates on lighting, heating and cooling, and appliances. They categorize the information using an
Excel spreadsheet that details dates, product info, nature of rebate or incentive, and links, in order to
4.4 The Follow-up develop a reference tool that can be easily updated for future audits and reports.
Evaluating the
Impact of the
Social Marketing
Campaign
Students will gather data on how well the social marketing campaign that they designed actually worked. Gathering data may include activities such as: measuring energy consumption, interviewing participants, and/or assessing behaviors. Once the impact is determined, students should discuss ways to modify or improve the campaign.
5.1 Residential Energy Audit
Compare
Energy Online
Audit Tools
Students will have gained in depth understanding of one of the state of the art online energy analyzer tools. To take their expertise to another level, students will research other online audit tools to see what additional services can be provided by such a tool, as well as which services are eliminated.
Examples of online energy analyzers or checklists that would be appropriate for this activity are: http://nstar.apogee.net/homesuite/calcs/rescalc/default_supp.aspx
http://www.aceee.org/consumerguide/checklist.htm
https://touchstoneenergy.cooperative.com/public/programs/energyefficiency/lblfiles/launch.htm

9.1 Extensions
5.2 School Energy Audit (and 5.3 Commercial Energy Audit)
Portfolio
Manager
Social
Marketing
Have students collect information to benchmark facilities with Energy Star Portfolio Manager
Utilize Community Based Social Marketing principles to create a social marketing campaign for the schools (e.g., switch plate stickers)
School Audit
Report
Expand on the results from these lessons to develop a full audit report to submit to the School
District.
6.1 Energy Auditor Certification Programs
Research
Professional
Organizations
In addition to energy auditor certification programs, there are professional organizations to facilitate networking, conferences and the dissemination of best practices in the field. Students will select one professional organization to research and write up a summary of the services provided by that organization. Organizations may include: IREC (interstate Renewable Energy Council); AEE
(Association of Energy Engineers); RESNET (Residential Energy Services Network) and others.
7.1 State and Local Level Energy Initiatives
Write your own Energy
Legislation
Students have had an opportunity to understand their local and State energy initiatives. In this exercise, they will be encouraged to build on the ideas they have encountered in their research by developing their own legislation. They are asked to write a mock bill related to one energy efficiency measure, considering approaches such as: mandatory v. recommended, rebates v. incentives, and penalties v. rewards.
8.1 Markets for energy auditors
Outlook
Summaries
Profession
Research
Students will identify and interview energy auditors. Career counselor to visit class to discuss Green
Jobs outlook and how the school career office can help. Based on these inputs, students can prepare outlook summaries for specific energy auditing careers.
Students conduct further research and write a paper on an energy profession (using Internet, books, magazines). Papers will compare and contrast current skills, knowledge, and experience to the requirements of the profession. The paper could also outline the steps you might take to prepare for this career.