Student Worksheet

School energy audit workbook

SCHOOL NAME:

START DATE:

FINISH DATE:

Starting your audit

Why do an energy audit?

By doing an energy audit you will be able to:

• Look at the energy uses at your school;
• Record the details of the energy used;
• Make some evaluations or judgments about the schools’ energy use; and
• Make some recommendations to the business about how to save energy and money.

Doing your audit

Start your audit by finding out the total amount of energy used at your school over one year. You can do this by examining the school’s energy bill. By using the school’s energy bill you can also work out the financial cost of this energy for the year (you can always just use a bill for a three-month period and then multiply it by four to get a yearly average).

Mark down your findings on the tables provided (Tables 1 and 2).

Looking at your schools' energy

Table 1. Electricity

Table 2. Gas

Heating and cooling audit

Does your school have a ducted heating system, or a ducted heating and cooling system with one or a couple of controls?

To conduct this part of the audit, students will find a temperature data logger very useful.

Students will need to collect data and find out:

1. When the heating system (or cooling system) comes on and goes off and how this happens, e.g., automatic or by staff.

2. How the temperature changes in the school over the day and how this relates to the heating system.

3. Does the system have any controls, and if it does what can be controlled?

4. What is a nice comfortable temperature on cold days with a jumper on sitting at a desk, and what is a nice comfortable temperature on a hot days with a jumper off sitting at a desk.

If classes have their own heating or cooling system in use, the same audit can be done for about three rooms.

Sample data collection sheet

Heating or cooling

What types of energy are used in your room?

Sample spot audit

Allocate a room to each student to do a spot audit. This could be done during a class and later during a break.

Room energy use estimation

Step 4: Estimation

Do several spot audits and estimate the time appliances are on and being used, and the time they are on and not being used. Heaters and coolers should be separately audited.

What types of energy are used in your room?

Answer the following questions:

• How many electrical items are there in your allocated room?

• Did you find any examples of energy waste?

• What other information would you like to add? Did any of the users of the appliances that you studied share any information about how they tried to be more energy efficient with their appliances?

Typical Power Ratings

If it is difficult to find the power rating written on the appliance. Use this table as a guide. However, be aware that this rating is only a guide and power ratings may vary greatly from one appliance to another.

Appliance	Typical Power Rating
Ceiling fan	65-75W
Computer (PC and monitor)	190 W
Cordless phone (average standby)	30 W
Dishwasher (2 star rating, 1hr/cycle, 12 Places) 1 star	1335 W
Dishwasher (2 star rating, 1hr/cycle, 12 Places) 2 star	950 W
Dishwasher (2 star rating, 1hr/cycle, 12 Places) 3 star	712 W
Electric air conditioning (evaporative)	400 W
Electric air conditioning (split cycle, 2 star rating)	1400 W
Electric air conditioning (wall unit, 2 star rating)	1410 W
Electric central heating	4000 W
Electric oven (fan assisted)	1500 W
Electric stove top cooking (large hotplate)	1100 W
Electric stove top cooking (small hotplate)	700 W
Electric strip heater (no thermostat)	1000 W
Energy efficient light globe	15 W
Fax machine	20 W
Fish tank	50-1210 W
Fluorescent light tube	13/20/40 W
Fridge (1 door) 350-400 L (2 star rating)	1060 W
Fridge (2 door) 350-420 L (3 star rating)	1671 W
Gas central heating	19440 MJ
Gas heater (large wall unit)	35 MJ
Gas heater (small wall unit)	12 MJ

Typical Power Ratings

Appliance	Typical Power Rating
Gas oven	12 MJ
Gas stove top cooking (large stove size)	16 MJ
Gas stove top cooking (small stove size)	10 MJ
Kettle	2400 W
Microwave	1600 W
Photocopier (active)	75 W
Photocopier (standby)	180 W
Printer	10-40 W
Scanner	12 W
Small appliances (radio, portable fan)	12 W
Standard light globe	40/60/100 W
Television (LCD)	270 W
Television (Plasma)	311 W
Toaster	2400 W
DVD / VCR	25 W
Washing dishes - electric hot water system (10L/sink/wash)	330 W
Washing dishes - gas hot water system (10L/sink/wash)	1.89 MJ

School Energy Audit

Summary

Learning intentions:

Students will...

Lesson Guides and Printables

Lesson Details

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

Additional Info