Introduction (please watch the Introduction Video) ​ ​ ​ Focus questions: How can we decrease the negative environmental impacts* of ​ ​ ​ our electricity use? What can we do in our homes? Our school? Our communities? 1. What 3 suggestions do you have in answer to the focus questions above? 2. What 3 suggestions do your family or friends have in answer to the focus questions above? 3. What do you think are two positive impacts of electricity generation? 4. What do you think are two negative impacts of electricity generation? *Note: There is a glossary of terms at the end of this packet. Words/phrases included in the glossary ​ are written in red, and you can click on them to be taken directly to their definitions.* ​ page 1 Energy Sources ● Watch: Steam Video ​ ● Open: Energy Source Pictures ​ ● Optional: Further explanations 1. Which of the electricity generation methods in the Energy Source Pictures use steam generation (like the video)? 2. Choose 2 of the electricity generation methods that you believe have the least environmental impacts. List and explain your reasoning: 3. Choose 2 of the electricity generation methods that you believe have the greatest environmental impacts. List and explain your reasoning: page 2 Lessons Lesson 1 How can electricity be generated? ​ 1. Fill in this chart How can you generate What’s your evidence that electricity using this electricity is flowing? combination of objects? A) Cow magnet, coil and microammeter Watch video B) Wooden generator, voltmeter and wires Watch video C) Handheld flashlights Watch video 2. Look closely at each combination of objects above. What’s similar about these three ​ combinations (A, B, and C)? ​ 3. Based on these similarities, what three components are required to generate ​ electricity (produce electromagnetic induction)? (Hint: Two components are objects and ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ one component is an action.) page 3 Lesson 2: Which type of light bulb is the most efficient? ​ ​ ​ 1. Table #1 Type of Bulb Incandescent LED Watch: Video Watch: Video Temperature when bulb is OFF ​ Watts (W) (Power) ​ Temperature when bulb is ON ​ 2. “Energy Efficient” means using less energy to provide the same service. Based on the ​ ​ measurements, which bulb type (LED or Incandescent) would you claim produces light most efficiently? ______________ What’s your evidence? 3. Table #2: Look at the photos and fill out the table. ​ Open Photo: Incandescent Open Photo: LED ​ ​ Brightness (lumens) Estimated Yearly Cost ($ ) Life (years) Light Appearance (scale of warm-cool) Energy Used (watts) ​ ​ 4. Consider the above characteristics: Which type of light bulb would you argue is ​ best for the environment? What’s your evidence and reasoning? page 4 At Home Light Bulb Challenge: 5. Count the total number of light bulbs in your home _____________ ​ How can you tell if a bulb is incandescent, CFL or LED? This picture shows the basic differences between bulbs. Note that LEDs often look like incandescents, except that they have a solid plastic collar near the base instead of being all glass. Incandescents will usually be 40 watts or higher. 6. Count how many of each type of bulb is in your home: Type of bulb # in your home Incandescent CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light) LED (Light Emitting Diode) Unknown How to find the watts Do you know where to look? Turn off the bulb. Incandescents ​ usually have text on top of the bulb that includes the watts. CFLs and LEDs usually have the same text near the bottom of the bulb, on the plastic collar. If you can’t see the bulb, or if there’s no text on it, assume that it is 60 watts for an incandescent, 14 for a CFL and 7 for an LED. page 5 Exploring the Cost of an Incandescent bulb If you do not have any incandescent bulbs, fill in the top chart “Exploring the Cost of an ​ ​ Incandescent Bulb” assuming you have a 60W and a 75W Incandescent bulb. Label which type of bulb you are examining in the first row (see example). Exploring the Cost of an Incandescent Bulb Example Bulb #1 Bulb #2 Where are the incandescent bulbs? Kitchen Write the room, location, and type of bulb ceiling lamp Incandescent How many watts is the bulb? 60 Watts See image above to find the watts on a bulb. Use 60 watts if unknown How many hours per day is each bulb on? 3 Estimate or ask a family member to help you. How many days per year is each bulb on? 365 Estimate or ask a family member to help you. How many hours per year is the bulb used? 3 hours x 365 Multiply hours per day X days per year days = 1,095 hours How many watts of electricity per year does it use? 60 X 1,095 = Multiply watts X hours per year 65,700 watts / year How many kilowatts (kWh) of electricity per year 65,700 watts ÷ does it use?1 1000 = 65.7 Divide watts per year by 1000 66 kWh How much money do you pay per year to use this 66 kWh X 0.15 bulb? = $9.86 Multiply kWh X $0.15 2 1 Most electric bills measure electricity in kilowatt hours (kWh). 2 Current cost per kWh page 6 How much would you save by changing each of these incandescent light bulbs to an LED bulb? Savings By Switching to a LED Bulb Example Bulb #1 Bulb #2 Watts of a new LED bulb 9 watts 9 watts 9 watts How much electricity per year would the new LED 9 x 1,095 = bulb use? 9,855 watts / year Multiply 9 X hours per year How much electricity per year in kWh would the 9,855 ÷ 1,000 = new LED bulb use? 9.85 kWh Watts/year ÷ 1000 How much money would you pay per year for a 9.85 x $0.15 = LED bulb? $1.48 Multiply kWh X $0.15 How much money does it cost to light both incandescent bulbs for a year? _____________ How much money would it cost to light both of the new LED bulbs for a year? ____________ How much money would you save by replacing both incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs? _________________ page 7 Optional extension: Feeling the heat from an incandescent light bulb 1. Turn on an incandescent light bulb for 5 minutes. Carefully place your hand near, but NOT ON the bulb after it has been lit for 5 minutes. What do you feel from the incandescent? 2. Now, find a different type of light bulb (CFL or LED) and repeat the same procedure. What do you feel from the CFL or LED? 3. Why do you think there is a difference? page 8 Lesson 3: Which appliance will use the most power/energy? ​ ​ ​ 1. Watch this video, then make predictions. ​ ​ 2. Predict: Which appliance (toaster or internet router) will require the most power ​ to operate? Why? 3. Predict: Which appliance (toaster or internet router) will use the most energy over ​ the course of one average day? Why? 4. How many watts does each appliance use? We will use a kill-a-watt meter to find ​ out. Watch the video for instructions, then fill in the chart for the toaster and the router. Power: Watch video Microwave Toaster Internet Router ​ Watts (W) 1500 watts Kilowatts (kW) 1.5kW (Divide watts by 1000) The amount of energy we use in our homes and businesses is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). Electric bills charge for the number of kilowatt-hours we use. A ​ kilowatt-hour (kWh) is equal to 1000 watts (W) of electricity used for one hour. For example, a 1000 watt drill needs 1000 watts of power to make it work and 1 kilowatt-hour to make it run for one hour. page 9 5. Using the Microwave column as an example, fill in each column of the table below to estimate the amount of energy a typical person uses each day when running these four appliances. Energy: Microwave Toaster Internet Router Estimate Daily Time the 10 minutes appliance is in use (in minutes) Estimate Daily Time in use in 0.16 hours hours (Divide # minutes by 60) ​ Kilowatt Hours (Multiply kilowatts ​ 0.24 kWh by hours) 6. Was your prediction about which appliance would require the most power to operate correct? Why did that appliance use more when turned on? (Refer to your ​ Watts (W) section.) 7. Was your prediction about cost for daily use correct? Why did that appliance use more energy over a day? (Refer to your Kilowatt Hours (kWh) section.) ​ page 10 Optional extension: Appliance data 1. Look for the information label (located on the back, bottom or side) of two appliances. If you can’t find the information on the appliance, look up the make & model online. These are some examples: Bread Machine (680W) Radio (50W) 2. Record the Wattage information for two different types of appliances: Appliance Name Wattage 3. Are the wattages similar or different? If different, why do you think the two wattages are different? What is different about the appliances? page 11 Electronic appliance scavenger hunt: 1. Find 2 appliances that require a high wattage over a short period of time. Appliance Name Wattage 2. Find 2 appliances that require a low wattage over a long (maybe 24 hour) period of time. Appliance Name Wattage 3. Find 2 appliances that continue to require a low wattage of power even when they are “turned off” (Vampire Power). ​ ​ Appliance Name Wattage page 12 Lesson 4: Where does our electricity come from? ​ Open the PDF for your state: Electricity Pies VT or Electricity Pies NH. Read and study ​ ​ ​ ​ the three pie charts and then answer the questions below.