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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF Efficiency & ENERGY EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ENERGY

Watt Does It Cost to Use It?

Grades: 5-8, 9-12

Topic: Energy Efficiency and Conservation

Author: Mark Ziesmer

Owner: Alliance to Save Energy

This educational material is brought to you by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

WATT DOES IT COST TO USE IT? By Mark Ziesmer, Sultana High School Hesperia Unified School District, California

Overview: Familiarize students with how electrical usage is counted, electrical pricing, and measure and evaluate representative household and school electrical items.

Objectives: Students will: 1. Learn about electrical energy is measured in units of kilowatt-hrs. 2. Determine the needs (wattage) of representative electrical items in homes and businesses. 3. Calculate kWh of an appliance when given its power consumption in watts and the amount time that it is on. 4. Learn the law of energy conservation. 5. Recall the dollar cost per kWh for electrical energy in their . 6. Convert electrical energy in kWh to dollars. 7. Learn to project costs to use representative items for one year. 8. Generalize which electrical items are big users, and which are small, and evaluate the merit of leaving items on against the cost to leaving them on. 9. Feel the personal need to conserve electrical energy. 10. Make an energy inventory of their houses, and make recommendations for conservation.

Subjects: Physical Science, Environmental Science, Physics

California Science Standards addressed: • Physics Grades 9-12 Physics #3 – Energy cannot be created or destroyed, although in many cases energy is transferred to the environment as . • Investigation and Experimentation Grades 9-12 #1.l – Analyze situations and solve problems that require combining and applying concepts from more that one area of science. • Investigation and Experimentation Grades 9-12 #1.m – Investigate a science-based societal issue by researching literature, analyzing data, and communicating the findings.

Suggested grade level: 7th – 12th

Time: Approximately 3 periods

Materials: Medium apple or 100 g Representative electrical Photocopies of a residential Meter stick appliances electric bill Calculator Copied blank table (optional) Watt meter (optional)

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PROCEDURE

1. Have these representative Students put in the heading on the 3rd items on display in the front column: On > 1 /, and check the of the room: incandescent ones that apply. Note that some of the lamp, fluorescent lamp, egg beater, space big users, like an egg beater, are on so heater, VCR, hair dryer, CD player, clock, little that in our electric bills, they do not computer printer, cell phone charger, TV, count for much, but some small users, like toaster. a porch lamp, do count for a lot. Tell students that the last four columns are to 2. “What is a watt?” Hold an apple or a 100 be completed later. g mass next to a vertical meter stick, and lift it to the top of the meter stick in 1.0 Day one can end here. Students can complete time. “How much power did it take the first three columns for homework, adding to do this? – One watt.” Have several appliances to it by looking up about 5 items students do the same. 1 watt = energy to from their own homes. If so, discuss their lift 100 g (or 1 ) in 1.0 . results and conclusions in the next day Students note that a watt is a small unit 5. Define kilowatts and explain how to of energy. “If I lifted more apples or change watts to kilowatts. 1000 w = 1 kW. more weights, it would take more power, [Environmental Science:] To change watts more watts.” to kilowatts, divide by 1000. [Physical 3. [Physics and Physical Science only] Science and Physics:] Using the factor- Define a watt based on previously covered label method, the conversion factor for units: gram, , and Newton. Give 1kW changing watts to kilowatts is . the formula for power: Power = /Time . 1000W Note that increasing the amount of work Review the unit abbreviations used so far: done increases the power requirement, W and kW. and decreasing the time to do a task also 6. Recall the definition of energy: the ability increases the power requirement. to do work. This applies to electrical 4. Students read the labels of several energy too. does work for us. electrical items on display. Pass out the 7. Discuss as a class: “Now we will come up blank tables. Students complete the first with the formula that is used to measure column of the table. Afterward, students electrical energy. What determines how note that some items use far more much electrical energy I use?” [An item’s electrical power than others. Students nd power, and how long it is left on.] We add the heading to the 2 column: BIG need both of these to get the formula: Users (>200 W), and check off the ones Energy = Power x time, which almost that use >200 W. always uses these units: “Can you make kWh = kW x hrs. Note that in generalizations as to this formula, watts must be changed the BIG users?” to kW first. [Heating items use a lot of power.] 8. Give the fourth to last column in their table the heading left on/day. As a class discussion, students estimate that

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number of hours per day that the 15. When the tables are completed, below the electrical items in their table are left on. table have students write their own Complete this column. Use decimal hours conclusions on wise usage of electricity. for times less than one hour. Estimates 16. Recall the law of conservation of energy, are okay, as all we are doing is that energy is always conserved, but may approximating. easily change forms. Electrical energy 9. Students give the third to last column the may be changed for us into work. But heading Energy/day. Now using the what happens to the rest, if it cannot just energy formula, Energy = Power x time, as disappear. Show a VCR or TV that has guided practice, students calculate the been left on for an hour. Have a student energy use per day or the first several place her hand on the top. It should be items. Then later complete the entire noticeable warm. That heat is wasted column. Make sure students in their energy. All Electrical appliances make tables record the correct units. some heat. A refrigerator makes more heat that it does coolness! It is most 10. [optional for Physical Science and efficient to use appliances that generate Physics]: As a summary of the concepts to the minimum heat, because heat is wasted present, show the attached Power Point® energy, unless of course that the machine presentation “How much does it cost to is intended to be a heater. use it.” 17. Show students an example of the Day two can end here. Student can finish the ENERGY STAR® symbol. Note that for 4th and 5th columns of the table for equivalent items homework. like refrigerators 11. Scan and project (or photocopy) an and televisions, electrical bill. Have students locate the the ones that have cost per unit, which is kWh. (On many this rating and symbol do the same job bills, a tiered system and sliding rate for less energy. It makes sense to look scale is used, so figuring out how much for this symbol. one pays per kWh is not that simple! But 18. It is very important to note now that the it is good to know.) energy ratings on the labels of appliances 12. Give this formula: are not how much power they actually Cost = rate x energy, which draw continually, but the maximum that contains these units: they draw. For example, a refrigerator uses the amount it says only when the $ $ = /kWh x kWh compressor is on, a TV only when it is 13. Students give the second-to-last column being turned on and at maximum volume, a the heading Cost per day. Now using the printer only while it is printing, a heater above, as guided practice, students when it is set to maximum. So our calculate the cost per day or the first numbers for some items in the table may several items. Then later complete the be too high. This could be true for entire column. anything with a dial or that is digital. Better numbers can be obtained with a 14. Students also complete the Cost per year . column, by multiplying cost per day by 365.

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19. Optional with wattmeter: Measure the ‰ Push the off button on computer actually wattage of some of the items in printer after printing. (Most turn the table. It will be less to significantly them selves on automatically when less that the label rating, depending on given the command to print, but what the item is doing at the time. The do not turn themselves back off). results can be fascinating. Savings per year: $______

20. Discuss as a class reasons for conserving ‰ Turn off a (e.g., porch light) electrical energy. Students add these to that is left on needlessly. Savings their notes. Reasons may include: saving per year: $______limited energy resources for future ‰ Reduce classroom room to generations, reducing pollution from half on. Savings per year: and gas power plants, reducing greenhouse $______gas emissions, saving money, being a good steward. ‰ Set a computer monitor to energy savings mode (right click on Day three can end here. Student can desktop, properties, screen saver, complete table for homework. energy savings properties). The 21. Class should now be able to calculate the monitor uses about 2/3 of the cost to run the lights in this classroom energy of the computer. Savings for a school year (180 days). Count the per year: $______lamps, and give the watts/lamp, and give Note that schools and industries the hours they are on per day. The pay a higher rate than the $/kWh answer will amaze you. shown on your residential bill. 22. From our tables, as a class come up with 23. Summary homework assignment: Students easy targets for conservation. Calculate make an energy inventory of their own how much can be saved in a year by taking homes, after the pattern of the table the above steps. Estimates okay. made in class, and add to their own ‰ Turn off a TV that is not being recommendations for electrical energy watched. Savings per year: conservation and an estimate as to how $______much money can be saved per year.

‰ Unplug a TV that will not be used for over a month. Savings per year: $______

FOLLOW-UP & ASSESSMENT

1. Optional research assignment: Students go on line to sce.com and summarize recommendation for residential users to conserve electrical energy. 2. Include these concepts on a quiz: Defining energy Defining power Formula for calculating electrical energy. Appropriate units for power and energy

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3. Give students problems like the ones done on their table: • calculating kilowatts • calculating electrical • calculating electrical from watts energy in kWh cost

4. Pick the biggest power users from a given list

5. Written assessment: My reasons to conserve electrical energy are….

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Watt Does it Cost to Use It?

Name ______Period ______

Item Power Big Users On > 1 Hours Energy/day Cost Cost needs (>200 W) hour/day left per per on/day day year incandescent lamp fluorescent lamp egg beater space heater

VCR hair dryer

CD player clock computer printer cell phone charger TV toaster

Conclusions:

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