Personal Energy Audit
Students will calculate their personal and household energy consumption on an Energy Audit spreadsheet and analyze their energy consumption patterns.
Students will understand that they use energy for many purposes including: lighting, heating, transportation, entertainment, food preparation, cleaning, and communications.
Students will describe ways they can reduce both their personal energy use and their household energy use.
There are two versions of the Personal Energy Audit Spreadsheet and the Personal Energy Audit: The Spreadsheet Investigation Sheet. The Personal Energy Audit Spreadsheet Version 1 is a more detailed spreadsheet than Version 2. Version 1 requires more data input and may therefore take more time for students to complete in an instructional setting. In Version 1, students input all their energy use values.
In Version 2, several items have been completed using typical household use values. These values include cleaning, heating, cooling, and transportation energy uses. If a student knows their energy use for a particular item that has a provided value, they may change it.
In both spreadsheet versions, if students or members of their household do not participate in a particular energy use activity, instruct them to enter a “0” in Columns B and C on their spreadsheet for that row.
The Personal Energy Audit: The Spreadsheet Investigation Sheet Version 2 has included cleaning, heating, cooling, and transportation values in a data table. These values are also included on the Personal Energy Audit Spreadsheet Version 2.
Implementation suggestion:
- Select Version 1 or Version 2 based on the learning needs, capabilities of your students, and prior knowledge levels about personal and household energy use. In an integrated classroom setting, you might wish to use both versions of the spreadsheet and the investigation sheet to differentiate instruction.
1. Begin the class by asking students to respond to the following question in their journal: Why do you think it is important to understand your energy consumption patterns?
2. Read the Energy Story to the students. Explain to students that different units are used to measure energy. Note that kilowatt-hours are the most commonly used measure of energy consumption.
3. Inform students they will calculate their personal energy consumption and analyze their energy consumption patterns.
4. Have students go to the Energy Unit Student Resources Web page. Ask students to download the Personal Energy Audit spreadsheet from the student resources page. We recommend that you have students bookmark this Web page since they will revisit it throughout the unit.
5. Distribute the Personal Energy Audit: The Spreadsheet handout to each student.
6. Illustrate and have students follow the Step 2 instructions on their handouts to enter their data for Row 6 - "Watch TV" on their Personal Energy Audit spreadsheet. Emphasize the change of the Out of pocket cost per year (dollars) column on the spreadsheet.
7. Instruct students to complete their Personal Energy Audit spreadsheets. The Personal Energy Audit: The Spreadsheet Teacher Guide contains suggested prompts you may wish to use to help students complete their spreadsheet.
8. Have students answer questions on their Personal Energy Audit: The Spreadsheet investigation sheet.
9. Discuss aloud students' energy consumption habits and ways they can reduce their personal and household energy use.
10. Ask students if they have any questions about concepts covered in the lesson and respond to their questions.
11. Review the concepts covered in the lesson. If at the completion of the activity students do not understand how much energy they use, modify instruction to ensure that students understand their energy consumption patterns.
12. Have students save their auditspreadsheet files: Save as (audit_initials) initials=student's initials.
Files need to be saved so they can be referred back to on days 28 and 30.
- Select Version 1 or Version 2 based on the learning needs, capabilities of your students, and prior knowledge levels about personal and household energy use. In an integrated classroom setting, you might wish to use both versions of the spreadsheet and the investigation sheet to differentiate instruction.
1. Begin the class by asking students to respond to the following question in their journal: Why do you think it is important to understand your energy consumption patterns?
2. Read the Energy Story to the students. Explain to students that different units are used to measure energy. Note that kilowatt-hours are the most commonly used measure of energy consumption.
3. Inform students they will calculate their personal energy consumption and analyze their energy consumption patterns.
4. Have students go to the Energy Unit Student Resources Web page. Ask students to download the Personal Energy Audit spreadsheet from the student resources page. We recommend that you have students bookmark this Web page since they will revisit it throughout the unit.
5. Distribute the Personal Energy Audit: The Spreadsheet handout to each student.
6. Illustrate and have students follow the Step 2 instructions on their handouts to enter their data for Row 6 - "Watch TV" on their Personal Energy Audit spreadsheet. Emphasize the change of the Out of pocket cost per year (dollars) column on the spreadsheet.
7. Instruct students to complete their Personal Energy Audit spreadsheets. The Personal Energy Audit: The Spreadsheet Teacher Guide contains suggested prompts you may wish to use to help students complete their spreadsheet.
8. Have students answer questions on their Personal Energy Audit: The Spreadsheet investigation sheet.
9. Discuss aloud students' energy consumption habits and ways they can reduce their personal and household energy use.
10. Ask students if they have any questions about concepts covered in the lesson and respond to their questions.
11. Review the concepts covered in the lesson. If at the completion of the activity students do not understand how much energy they use, modify instruction to ensure that students understand their energy consumption patterns.
12. Have students save their auditspreadsheet files: Save as (audit_initials) initials=student's initials.
Files need to be saved so they can be referred back to on days 28 and 30.
Materials Needed:
Spreadsheet
Personal Energy Audit Spreadsheet Version 1 (Excel / Numbers)
OR
Personal Energy Audit Spreadsheet Version 2 (Excel / Numbers)
Handouts
(1) Personal Energy Audit: The Spreadsheet Teacher Guide (PDF / MS Word)
(2) Personal Energy Audit: The Spreadsheet Student Handout (PDF / MS Word)
(3) Personal Energy Audit: The Spreadsheet Investigation Sheet Version 1 (PDF / MS Word)
OR
Other Resources
Assessment Information
Personal Energy Audit: The Spreadsheet Assessment (PDF / MS Word)
Supplemental Homework Readings for Students
Scientific Forms of Energy (PDF)
Teacher Resources/Content Support
Personal Energy Audit Spreadsheet FAQs (PDF)
Energy Basics - Print Version (PDF)
Electricity Generation - Print Version (PDF)