Student Activity #3 A Simple Energy Audit

United States Office of Air and Radiation EPA 430-K-09-005

Environmental Protection (6207J) May 2009

Agency

SERA

Student Activity #3

A Simple Energy Audit

Audit Inside Your Classroom

1. Where is the thermostat located?

A. It should be located on inside walls, away from a bright light source (such
as sunlight) or a heating or air conditioning vent. Is it? yes no

2. What setting is the thermostat reading?

A. It should be set at 68 degrees Fahrenheit in winter or 78 degrees
Fahrenheit in summer. Is it? yes no

3. Do you have windows in your classroom? Answer these questions, if you
have windows.

A. Does your classroom have window coverings that allow you to block out
intense sunlight during hot days? yes no

Purpose:

Time required:
Equipment:

Introduction:

This audit will encourage you to examine your classroom and
identify ways in which you can help conserve energy.

20-45 minutes

• This worksheet

• a pencil

• a paper clip

• a small piece of lightweight paper (such as tissue paper),
approximately 1" across and 3" long, that hangs on a paper
clip (see drawing)

We spend much of our day in school. But few of us notice
details about buildings, such as windows and thermostats. We
also pay little attention to the small actions that each of us
does—such as turning lights on and off—that affect energy use.
These actions are important not only because they contribute
to our comfort, but also because the use of energy to heat, cool,
and provide lighting in school buildings increases the cost of
operating our schools.

Ain energy-efficient school is more comfortable than one that is
not energy-efficient, and it needs less oil, natural gas, coal, or
electricity for heating or cooling. A building that is badly designed
or poorly maintained is expensive to operate because it is trying
to heat or air-condition the outdoors as well as the indoors.

The following activity will teach you to conduct a simple energy
audit. By conducting this exercise, you will point out areas that
could be improved and save energy, which means saving money
and making you more comfortable. You will learn about things
that you and your classmates can do to save energy.

You will conduct an audit inside your classroom.

Recycled/Recyclable

Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on Recycled Paper (Minimum 50% Postconsumer) Process Chlorine Free

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4. Now take your draft detector to your classroom door. (If you have a door to a
hallway and a door to the outside, do this activity with both doors.)

A.	Place the detector along the sides of the inside of the door, where it
meets the walls, and along the floor. Do you detect any air moving
through the cracks between the door and the wall or the floor? If you
can feel any air moving, your door is not energy-efficient. Is your door
energy-efficient?	yes 	no

B.	Place the detector along the sides of the outside of the door, where
it meets the walls, and along the floor. Do you detect any air moving
through the cracks between the door and the wall or the floor? If you
can feel any air moving, your door is not energy-efficient. Is your door
energy-efficient?	yes	no

5. Does your classroom have a floor covering, such as carpeting?	yes 	no

6. How high is your ceiling? (Use caution when trying to determine this.) Is it
8 feet or less?	yes 	no

7. If you can safely open the air conditioning or heating unit in the classroom,
do so, and look at the filters. Are they clean (little dust or dirt, not clogged)?
	yes 	no

8. Are the light bulbs used in your classroom energy-saving bulbs? (You might
need to ask your facilities manager this question.)	yes	no

9. Are all the desks and chairs away from heating or cooling vents?	yes 	no

10. Now we will look at some of your personal activities in your classroom that
affect energy use.

A.	Do you wear clothing that is appropriate for the season, such as sweaters
in the winter and lightweight clothes in the summer?	yes	no

B.	Do you turn off the lights if you are the last one out of the room?
	yes 	no

C.	Do you avoid putting your textbooks, notebooks, etc. on top of heating or
cooling vents?	yes 	no

B.

C.

Take the small piece of paper and paper clip you made. This is a "draft
detector." Walk up to the window, and hold the piece of paper at four
different spots along the edge of the window, where the window meets
the wall. Hold it still for about 30 seconds in each spot. Be sure to get
really close to the window, if you
can do it safely, and make sure
that the heating vents aren't
blowing the paper.

Does the paper move? Can you
feel warm or cold air coming in
through the window? If you can
feel air move, the windows are
not energy-efficient. Are your
windows energy-efficient?

	yes 	no

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continued

Student Activity #3: A Simple Energy Audit

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If you answered "yes" to most of these questions, your classroom is doing well.
But if you said "no" to three or more, you need to work with your teacher, facilities
manager, or other adult to improve these areas.

Here's why your answers matter:

1. If your thermostat is located too close to a strong light or heat source, it will
not. properly measure the room temperature, which means that energy will

,< J} a ' be wasted because the heater or air conditioner runs more than it needs to. It

ys .pi w j ft- •tjggap: also could mean that you are uncomfortable in your classroom, because if the

thermostat is near a source of heat or air-conditioning, it will turn off well before
' the entire room is heated or cooled.

2. If your thermostat is set too high in winter or too low in summer, you are
wasting energy. Ask the person responsible for energy management in your
school to check your thermostats and make sure that they are working properly.

3. If your windows do not have the ability to block out intense sun, your air-
conditioning costs are too high, or your comfort level is lowered (because the
room cannot cool down). If you see or feel air moving through the edge of
the window, this means you are losing energy from your classroom, and the
windows need to be caulked, sealed, or covered by a storm window system.

4. Your draft detector has helped you to
determine whether your door is
energy-efficient.

5. Carpeting helps keep rooms more
comfortable and conserves heat.

6. Ceilings higher than 8 feet waste energy,
because warm air moves to the top of the
room instead of remaining near the floor
where we are.

7. Clean filters conserve energy by allowing the unit to run efficiently. Dirty filters
waste energy.

8. Energy-saving bulbs are more expensive to buy but save lots of money on
electricity in the long term.

9. If furniture blocks heating or cooling vents, the furnace or air conditioner will
insufficiently heat or cool the room.

10. When you wear clothes that are appropriate for the weather, you require less
energy to keep warm or cool. Keeping lights on when you do not need them
wastes energy. Again, if objects block heating or cooling vents, the furnace or
air conditioner will insufficiently heat or cool the room.

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