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ENERGY STAR®, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
program, helps us all save money and protect our environment
through energy efficient products and practices. For more
information, visit www.energystar.gov.
Energy Efficiency Ambassadors
The below activities for teachers to use with students are based on the Alliance to Save Energy's
Green Schools Program activities. The activity also incorporates materials from the "Comparing
Light Bulbs" activity produced by the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project.
*	For information about the Alliance to Save Energy, go to www.ase.org, or
www, greenschools. com
*	For information about NEED'S educational materials, go to www.NEED.org.
Subject: Science, English, and Technology
Grades: 9-12
Brief Description:
Too many greenhouse gas emissions are collecting in our earth's atmosphere and are
causing our climate to change. People at any age can help by using less energy. In
these activities, students will compare two products that provide the same function (in
this case, providing light) but require different amounts of energy to do their job.
Students will research and demonstrate energy efficiency in action and learn how it
applies to different technologies.
After the activities, students should be able to discuss the following:
•	How does using less energy help our environment?
•	What are the primary differences between compact fluorescent light bulbs and
incandescent light bulbs?
•	What are other examples of energy-efficient technologies or energy-saving
practices?
Background:
We have all heard about global climate change (also
referred to as global warming) and know that it is a
challenge facing our world. Most people do not know that
the average home is responsible for twice as many
greenhouse gas emissions as the average car. Most of the
electricity we use at home comes from burning fossil fuels
like coal and oil, which releases greenhouse gas emissions
into our earth's atmosphere. What this means is that we
can each play a role in reducing these emissions by using
energy more efficiently.
One of the easiest ways to learn about energy efficiency and put it into practice at home
is through the light bulb. The most common light bulb today is the incandescent light
bulb, invented by Thomas Edison 125 years ago. New compact fluorescent light bulbs
(CFLs) use 75% less energy than an Edison bulb and last up to 10 times longer. In fact,
only 10% of the electricity required by an incandescent bulb is used for light, and the
other 90% escapes as heat. CFLs create the same amount of light, but generate a lot
less heat - about 75 percent less. CFLs are more energy-efficient than incandescent
lights because fluorescent technology does not require a metal filament to be heated to
create light, but instead uses contained gases which require less electricity to create the
same amount of light. To save the most energy and do the most good for the
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environment, it makes sense to use CFLs in areas of the home where lights ically
left on for longer periods of time.
Because CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, about 5 milligrams, they should be
disposed of responsibly, ideally recycled; and, if they should break, cleaned up using
EPA's guidelines. Learn more at energystar.gov/CFLsandlVlercury,
There are many other appliances and technologies where energy efficiency comes into
play. For example, two different refrigerators may keep food cool equally well, but the
amount of energy they use to do so may vary significantly. Or, two different houses of
similar size may both have indoor air temperatures of 75 degrees Fahrenheit, but
depending on how well each house is insulated, the amount of energy used to heat or
cool that house could mean a difference of $100 dollars or more a month in electricity
and gas bills, signaling a large amount of wasted energy. Appliances and other-
technologies are considered energy efficient when they provide as good or better
performance as other technologies but use less energy to do the job.
While a few kilowatt hours of energy wasted here or there may not seem like a large
enough amount of energy to worry about, they add up quickly in the f« greenhouse
gas emissions in our atmosphere. Consider that using a CFL instead of an
incandescent light bulb can prevent more than 200 pounds of coal from being burned,
and that lighting accounts for about 20 percent, or one-fifth, of total residential energy
use. The potential savings is enormous, and that's just with one technology - lighting.
Objectives:
1,	Students will learn the connection between energy use and global climate
chan o referred to as global warming)
2,	Students wii	t different appliances and technologies with similar output
vary in the amount of energy they consume
3,	Students will identify and list technologies and other practical ways to be more
energy efficient mie
4,	Students will build or display an apparatus or energy-efficient device that
demonstrates its practical application for energy efficiency, or find an alternative
way to demonstrate energy efficiency
5,	Students will compare the relative value of an energy-efficient product or practice
versus an equivalent product or practice that uses requires more energy to do
the same job, and use specific data, facts, and ideas to support their findings
6,	Students will convey information and ideas from primary and secondary sources
accurately and coherently
7,	Students will report information and convey ideas logically and correctly
Lesson Plan
1,	Brainstorm with students how energy is wasted in homes and how they might
help stop the waste. Students will do Internet research on current methods
recommended for home energy efficiency. Students may also contact local
energy specialists in the community and interview them about methods and/or
technologies that would reduce energy waste and save money. These specialists
may also provide testing equipment for the project.
2,	Form small groups of students (2-3 per grou	roup selects a method or
apparatus to display and demonstrate energy efficiency. The project must have a

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display showing how the energy efficiency was tested and a poster chart showing
the projected energy savings over a set period of time. The chart should be
created using a spreadsheet program and enlarged to poster size,
3, A journal detailing the project should include a statement of the research
question they sought to answer, documented research, data collection, analysis,
and results.
4 The group should create a script from which each member is able to explain the
project, how it works, and the significance of the results with regard to energy
efficiency and the environment,
•
F cial sciences or language arts class:
Have the students do the same research as described above, but instead of doing an
experiment or comparison project, ha students write a persuasive essay promoting
the importance of using energy efficiently at home. Or, students could take the material
they learned in 1	;h phase and create a children's book that explains what
energy efficiency is, why it is important, and how individuals taking energy-saving steps
can help,
F	ience or environmental club;
Encourage club members to prepare a presentation for a lower grade level class about
the importance of using energy efficiently and our environment, using the CFL to
demonstrate. Students can do the math to calculate the difference it would make in
energy and environmental benefits if everyone in their class changed one light at home
to a CFL, if everyone in their school did the same, £ i everyone in their city
followed suit.
¦	Electricity saved (kWh) = bulb lifetime hours x (wattage difference of bulbs
divided by 1000) x number of bulbs
o *CFL lifetime is -6,000 hours
o Incandescent lifetime is -750 hours
¦	Greenhouse Gas Emissions Prevented (pounds C02) = kWh x 1,54 pounds/kWh
¦	L electricity and emission savings (above) and equivalencies (below) to
come up with fun facts;
o Car emissions factor:	11,470 pounds C02/ car / year
o Tree carbon sequestre _ 3 planted):
2,200 pounds C/acre of trees/year
8,086 pounds C02/ acre/ year
o Annual average household electricity use:
Wh / year

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Case Study
The case study below describes a simple project on lighting (done by teacher Terry
Bianke, Eisenhower High School, Rialio Unified School District, California). Other
projects can be more complex depending upon the students.
Materials Need e materials below are for this lighting comparison demonstration.
For other projects, the materials may vary due to students' selection of topic and how
they wish to create their project),
¦	Internet access
¦	Spreadsheet software
¦	Word processing software
¦	Covered box
¦	2 surge strips
¦	Compact fluorescent bulb
¦	Incandescent bulb
¦	Tape
¦	Light meter
¦	Poster board
The students forme tup and decided they would demonstrate lighting efficiency.
They researched and compan watt incandescent light bulb to a compact
fluorescent light bulb with the equivalent light output (13 watts). A spreadsheet chart was
created showing the potential watts used and the cost of energy over their lifetime, as
well as the cost of the one fluorescent bulb vers	acement incandescent bulbs
that don't last as long. The students then built an apparatus, using a cardboard box,
surge strips, and a light meter, to demonstrate the light output levels of the two types of
bulbs and the amount of energy used to produce the light. The students were able to
show approximately a $45 savings with the fluorescent bulb, adding energy and
replacement bulb cost savings together.
At a science fair, students demonstrated their project and explained the savings to
parents and elementary students. They also handed out energy-efficient bulbs to each
family who stopped at the booth. The bulbs were provided by the local electric company.
District representatives, the local paper, and school officials stopped by and were
impressed with the display and the students' presentation. Their project was given media
coverage in the local paper and throughout the district via the district's publicity email.

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