Introduction
We all use energy to turn on lights, heat and cool our homes, get to school, and power our electronics. In the United States, energy consumption is broken down into four sectors: residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation.
- Residential includes energy used in places like houses and apartment buildings
- Commercial accounts for energy used in public spaces such as office buildings, schools, and hospitals
- Industrial includes energy to grow and make goods such as food, cars, and buildings.
- Transportation includes the gasoline and fuel used to drive cars and fly planes.
Conducting an energy audit will allow you to better understand how much energy is used by the devices in your home and classroom. Based on this information, brainstorm ways to reduce the amount of energy you use.
Objectives
- Measure electricity usage by several devices in your classroom and at home.
- Make a plan for how you will conduct a home energy audit.
- Calculate energy usage per person in your home.
- Consider ways to conserve energy at home and school.
- Determine ways your classroom, school, or home could become more efficient.
Sensors and Equipment
This experiment features the following sensors and equipment. Additional equipment may be required.
Option 2
Correlations
Teaching to an educational standard? This experiment supports the standards below.
- International Baccalaureate (IB)/Physics
- 8.1 Energy sources
Ready to Experiment?
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Purchase the Lab Book
This experiment is #3 of Renewable Energy with Vernier. The experiment in the book includes student instructions as well as instructor information for set up, helpful hints, and sample graphs and data.
