Unit 4: Reducing Energy Use
Analysing results activity guide & worksheet
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This project was funded by the Department of Sustainability and Environment. This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia licence. A copy of this licence is available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by‐nc/2.5/au/ or by writing to info@creativecommons.org.au. However logos are protected by copyright. Estimated duration: 40 minutes Page 1 of 5
Unit 4: Reducing Energy Use
Analysing energy calculator results activity guide
Estimated duration: 50 minutes
Aim •
To analyse the results of the energy audit students did with the Origin energy calculator, using numerical and graphical information
Outcome By the end of this session, students will be able to: • Describe the areas of major energy use in their homes • Describe their annual carbon dioxide emissions • Better interpret information presented in numerical and graphical form • Drawing conclusions about consumption
Resources • • •
Results from the ‘My Results’ and the ‘Energy Summary’ sections of the Origin Energy Efficiency Calculator website. Analysing results worksheet (included below) Computers with internet access
Activity Description 1. When students have answered all the questions on the Origin Energy Calculator you can obtain a report of your audit by going to “My results”. The calculator has summarised all the answers and drawn a series of pie charts. Reading the pie charts will enable them to interpret their energy consumption. 2. Click on “View your energy summary” at the bottom of the page and you will obtain a read‐out of your costs per quarter, costs per year and total carbon dioxide emissions each year. 3. They can then complete the analysing results worksheet from the information obtained. 4. Have students discuss their findings as a class or as small groups. Note: all calculators these are guides only and depend on a number of assumptions. Extension Activities •
You may wish to have student save a printed copy of the results to compare later. Once they have completed the personal challenge they then redo the calculator to compare the energy results before and after the challenge.
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You may wish to have students complete their own analysis of the data. This might be getting them to create or draw graphs and pie charts of their energy summary using word processing or spreadsheet charting or drawing features.
Student Roles and Responsibilities Participate in agreed tasks Contribute to class discussions Complete activities and worksheets Work cooperatively with others Participate in survey and collect data Seek teacher assistance and support when needed
Level of Teacher Support Facilitate discussion Organise materials and equipment Present slideshow or computer program Provide encouragement Introduce tasks and activities Provide assistance when requested. Provide advice on how to research and identify sources of information. Teach or reinforce statistical or graphical skills and understanding
Assessment To use this learning activity as an assessment task, collect evidence such as: Teacher checklist and observation Copies of student materials and worksheets
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Unit 4: Reducing Energy Use
Analysing results worksheet When you have answered all the questions on the Origin Energy Efficiency Calculator you can obtain a report of your audit by going to “My results”. The calculator has summarised all the answers and drawn a series of pie charts. Reading the pie charts will enable you to interpret your energy consumption. Click on “View your energy summary” at the bottom of the page and you will obtain a read‐out of your costs and carbon dioxide emissions.
1. Figure this out! When we collect information in the form of numbers it is called data. Q. Look at the results for each area of energy use in the table. Are there any results that surprise you? If so, which ones? Q. How much does it cost to provide power to your bedroom each year? Q. What costs the most to run each year? Q. How many tonnes of CO2 does it release into the environment?
Summarising data
Too many numbers together can make a person feel dizzy, so it is important to make a summary of the most relevant data to be analysed. Making a summary table of totals and subtotals can simplify things quite a lot. Then it is possible to draw graphs and pie charts that are simpler to look at. Q. Select the subtotals of CO2 emissions per year and write them in the table below.
Summary of CO2 emissions per year Subtotals Energy Use CO2 emissions per year My Bedroom My Bathroom & Laundry My Kitchen My Living Room My Backyard My Garage TOTAL Page 4 of 5
Unit 4: Reducing Energy Use
Analysing results worksheet p.2
2. Figure this out! Summary of energy cost per year Select the subtotals of energy cost per year and write them in the table below.
Energy Use
Subtotals energy cost per year
My Bedroom My Bathroom & Laundry My Kitchen My Living Room My Backyard My Garage TOTAL
Q. Which areas are the most expensive to run? Q. In the energy calculator, click on the home symbol to go to the Energy in Your Home page, and click on different areas of the house plan. You will find many different energy tips about what to do to start reducing energy use in different areas. Write down at least two points for each area of the house that are relevant to you.
Area
What you can do Ideas for energy efficiency
My Bedroom My Bathroom & Laundry My Kitchen My Living Room My Backyard My Garage
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