What can students do about
global warming?
Sara Krauskopf
(Madison East High School)
Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
 Advanced Biology class--11 and 12th grade
 All students have taken one year of biology and
chemistry
Overview of Advanced Biology
Global Warming Unit
 Guest speaker introduction
 Review of atmosphere—distinguish greenhouse effect from
ozone layer from global climate change
 Examples of effects of global climate change, esp
biological/ecosystem changes
 Sources of air pollution and effects on human health
 Wisconsin contributions stats
 East High electricity bill/ retrofitting projects
 Home electricity audit
 Group research projects on topics related to air
pollution/alternative fuels/effects of global climate change
Wisconsin Energy Statistics 2006
Wisconsin Division of Energy--Department of Administration
Wisconsin Energy Statistics 2006
Wisconsin Division of Energy--Department of Administration
 Google “Wisconsin
Energy Statistics” or
“Wisconsin Division of
Energy”
 pdf file to download or
view online
 two versions available-condensed and complete
What is a kilowatt?
Visual demonstration
of a kilowatt (10
100W bulbs)
If we left these on for
one hour, this
would be one
kilowatt hour.
Conversion Rates
(Coal-fired electricity)
CO2= 1 kg/KWH
SO2 = 5.8 grams/KWH
NOx = 2.5 g/KWH
Electricity $.10 per KWH. Use local
rates from utility companies.
Source Madison Gas and Electric
Local Utility Bills
 School bills--obtain from District Facilities
Manager or KEEP course (UWSP)
 Bring in home bills/photocopy yours
 Discuss various charges
 Peak/offpeak rates
 Distribution service/KWH + Electricity Service
per KWH
Madison East’s Energy Bill
Typical Lightin g Retrofit
Existin g Lighting Room 330
The e xisting lightin g consisted of (20) flourescent fixtures each using (4 ) 4 foot
fluorescent lamps an
d (2) magneti c ba llasts. Ballasts ar e requir ed in all fluorescent
fixtures to prov ide the proper voltage and current to operate the lamps . The flourescent
lamps wer e each 34 watts, w hil e each ballast used aproximate ly 12 watts. The total
wattage per fixtur e was 160 watts.
Cost to Operate the Existing
Lightin g System
The total wattage o f the existing lighti ng syst em is :
20 fixtures x 160 watts = 3,200 watts or 3.2 Kil owatts (KW)
The estimated hours
10 hours/day
of operation of these fix tures is:
x 5 days/week x
42 weeks/yea r = 2,100 hours
The avera ge electri c rate for MGE is about 0.06 $/kilowatt
annual cost to operate these fixtures
is:
-hour (KWH ), therefor e the
3.2 KW x 2,100 hours x 0.06 $/KWH = $403.20
LIGHTING RETROFIT PROJECT
The lightin g retrofi t project im plemented by Honeywe
ll consisted of re placing th e (4)
fluorescent lamps an
d (2) magneti c ba llasts w ith 2 energ y efficient T8 , 1î diameter ,
lamps, a n energ y efficient electronic ballast and an aluminum reflector install ed behin d
the lamps i n orde r to improve the ef ficiency of the fixture by ma ximi zing th e amount of
light the fixtur e produces . Th e total wattage of the retro fit fixtures is 58 watts. The
estimated cost to retrofit this
room was $1,400
Cost to Operate the New
Determine the annua
Total wattage
Lightin g System
l savings from
this new system. Show your wor k.
(in KW):
Annual cost:
Annual Savings
How many
from ori gina l:
years wi ll it tak e to pay off the cost of the ne w system?
Home Energy Bill
Electricity Audit of Your Home
Analyze the amount of electricity used in your home. Choose one room
that has the greatest number of appliances and lights to use for the
audit (You may do two rooms for up to 10 points extra credit). Create
a data table showing the name of the room, appliances, wattage for
each appliance, hours used per week, total watt-hours used per week
and total KWH.
 a. To determine wattage, look directly on the back or bottom of the appliance to
get an accurate number. (Remember watts=volts x amps) Otherwise use the
appliance survey sheet for assistance.
21 students—pledged 27,670 lbs CO2 of
savings (12,577 kg)
East High Unplugged
 http://www.mmsd.o
rg/mmsdtv/streamin
g/4269-snewsunplugged.mov
Sara Krauskopf
skrauskopf@glbrc.wisc.edu
Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
University of Wisconsin--Madison
Genetics Biotechnology Rm 1320
425 Henry Mall
Madison, WI 53706
608-263-0809
MGE Website
Earth Science students bring in an energy bill from
their home or use the computer lab to find out the
average energy use for their home.
http://www.mge.com/myaccount/averagecost/
Home Energy Audit
Adapted from Project Learning Tree
Scaffolded in its design
Students have one week to do the energy
survey at home, math calculations are done
together in class.
A. Staying Warm and Keeping Cool
1. How do you heat your home or apartment
during the winter? (circle one)
2. What is the temperature setting on your
thermostat (winter)?
3. Is your thermostat on a timer that
automatically controls it at night or during
the day when no one is home?
4. Do you use an air conditioner in your home
during the summer?
5. If yes, it is a central air or a room air
conditioner?
6. What is the temperature setting on your
thermostat (summer)?
OIL
NATURAL GAS
ELECTRIC
OTHER
o
F
YES or NO
YES or NO
CENTRAL or ROOM
o
F
B. Keeping it Bright
7. How many light fixtures (lamps, overhead
lights) are in your home?
8. Do any of them have compact fluorescent
bulbs?
YES or NO
9. Does anyone in your home every leave the
lights on when they are out of the room?
YES or NO
10. Does anyone in your home leave a TV or
radio on when they are out of the room?
11. Look at 5 light bulbs in your home. What
are their wattages? (usually printed on top)
YES or NO
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
C. Out the Door and Window
12. How many windows are in your home?
13. How many have storm windows or get
covered with plastic in the winter?
14. Check to see if any of your windows have
drafts (hold a piece of ribbon in front and see
if it flutters.) How many have drafts?
15. Do any of the outside doors in your house
have drafts?
16. Look at 5 light bulbs in your home. What
are their wattages? (usually printed on top)
YES or NO
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
D. Down the Drain
17. What temperature is your hot water
heater set at? (if you can’t find out, measure
the temperature of the water with a
thermometer)
18. Does your hot water heater have an
insulated cover?
YES or NO
19. Do any faucets or pipes in your house
leak?
YES or NO
20. Do you usually wash your clothes in hot,
warm, or cool water?
21. Do you clean the lint trap on your dryer
before drying a load of clothes?
22. If you have a dishwasher, do you run the
drying cycle or just let them air dry?
HOT or WARM or COOL
YES or NO
DRYING CYCLE or AIR DRY
E. Watt does it cost to use it?
Circle the electronic devices you use at least once a week below and how many hours per
week you use them. Most have a wattage listed on them; fill it in if you can find it.
Electronic device
Television
VCR or DVD player
Computer
I pod or walkman
Cell phone
Video game machine
Microwave
Refrigerator
Electric Stove
Toaster
Aquarium
Vacuum Cleaner
Blow-dryer
Flat Iron or Curling Iron
Hours per week used
Wattage
Wattages of Small and Medium
Sized Electrical Appliances
Watt does it cost to use it?
Electronic device
Wattage
Television
30
VCR or DVD player
27
Computer
160
I pod or walkman
10
Cell phone
10
Playstation 2
30
XBOX
70
XBOX 360
165
Microwave
1500
Refrigerator
300
Electric Stove
5000
Toaster
1500
Aquarium
150
Vacuum Cleaner
700
Blow-dryer
1200
Flat Iron or Curling Iron
30
Calculation Sheet – Can we save a ton of
CO2?
A.Electronic B.Wattage C.Wattage/1000=kW D.Hours
Item
(B/1000=kW)
used per
week
1.1. 1. 1.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
F. kilowatt
hours (kWh)
(C x D)
G. Cost
per week
(F x
0.10)
H. Cost
per
year
(G x
52)
Leaking Watts
Chart
Small appliances
use energy when
they are turned
off but still
plugged in.
Type of Appliance
Air Condidtioner
Alarm Clock
Amplifier
Answering Machine
Answering Machine/Cellular Phone
Computer (personal)
Baby Monitor
Battery Charger
Boom Box
Cable Box
Cassette Deck
CD Player
Clock Radio
Cordless Phone
Dishwasher
DSS
DVD
Equalizer
Garage Door Opener
Internet Apliance
Linear Power Supply
Machintosh PC
Massager
Microwave Oven
Mini Audio System
Modem (external)
Power PC
Power Speaker
Printer
Range
Receiver
Rice Cooker
Security System
Shaver
TV
TV/VCR Combo
Vacuum Cleaner
VCR
Video Game
Minimum (Watts) Average (Watts)
0
0
0.7
1.3
0
1.4
1.8
3
2.5
2.8
1.3
2.1
0.7
1.2
0.2
1.4
0.7
2.2
4.8
11.6
0
2.8
0
3.1
0.9
1.7
1.1
2.7
6.4
6.4
11.3
15
1.6
4.3
0
3.1
3.5
3.8
7.5
7.5
0.1
1.3
0
2
1.1
2.7
1.6
3.2
1.3
9.3
1
1.4
1.3
1.5
0
1.6
3.5
3.5
1.8
3
0
1.8
1.5
2
15
18.3
0.4
0.9
0
4.3
2.5
9.8
1.7
2.1
1.5
5.6
0
1.1
Maximum (Watts)
0
2
5.5
5.2
3.1
2.8
1.6
3.2
7.7
18
6.6
8
3.2
5
6.4
18.4
7.1
5.9
4
7.5
3.2
3.5
4.2
6
28.6
1.8
1.6
3.1
3.5
4.1
5.9
2.5
21.5
1.4
12.3
19.5
2.6
12.8
2
Overview of Earth Science Energy Use








What is a watt?
Where does our energy come from?
Reading a home energy bill (or MG&E website)
Waste Watchers Energy Survey – Can we save a ton
of CO2?
Energy survey calculations
School energy bill
Graphing school energy use
Investigating alternative energy sources