Lesson Plan

Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: What do buildings have to do with Climate Change?

25 minutes

Find Out: What affects a building's energy efficiency?

20 minutes

Take Action: Exploring Energy Efficiency in Buildings

5 minutes

Reflection

Tune In: What do buildings have to do with Climate Change?

Step 1

Watch the following video with your students until 3:39 mins, which discusses the crucial role of buildings in the energy system as we transition to a net zero economy.

What If Buildings Created Energy Instead of Consuming It? | Ksenia Petrichenko | TED (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYsDNpi_qPQ)

After watching this section of the video discuss the following points with your students, there is space for them to write their responses in the student worksheet.

Why is it important to consider buildings if we want to reduce the effects of climate change and transition to a net zero economy?
What are the two ways energy efficiency can be improved in buildings?
What scientific knowledge that you’ve learnt can be used in this?

The previous lessons in this unit have explored the energy efficiency of appliances and the conservation of heat and energy through energy transfers and transformations. If you haven’t taught these lessons, we recommend that you have covered this content before tackling this lesson.

Step 2

Reiterate to students that buildings and their construction account for 36% of global energy use and 39% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. Most homes in Australia were built prior to the introduction of energy performance standards. Many new homes also fail to meet the efficiency standards now required by law. This means many people live in homes that are hot in summer and cold in winter and use a lot of energy – making bills higher.

Ask students to think about their own homes

How do they heat and cool them?
Is there anything they do to conserve energy in their house that they have discussed with their parents? E.g. put a jumper on before you turn the heater on! Shutting blinds when it's hot to keep the sun out and when it's cold to keep the heat in.
Do they know of any energy-efficient aspects of their home?
- Has it been built recently, or had work done, solar panels installed, more efficient appliances or even lightbulbs?
Why do they think understanding these issues is important for the future?
- Saving money, becoming more sustainable and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and careers in the future!
- The Million Jobs Plan is a proposal developed by Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE), an Australian climate change think tank. This plan outlines a strategy to create one million jobs in Australia while addressing climate change and transitioning to a sustainable, zero-emissions economy. One of the biggest sections in this plan is the plan for better buildings that move towards home being net zero and reducing energy consumption and costs. and talks about the importance of having people interested and skilled in these areas to make this change and make a difference.

Find Out: What affects a building's energy efficiency?

Step 1

Watch the following video with your students, which explains NatHERS - the Nationwide Energy Rating Scheme, an organisation that measures and rates a home's energy efficiency. As students watch the video, advise them to write down as many aspects of a house's design that can impact efficiency as they can.

Explaining NatHERS - NatHERS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7K4LdKb0JTw)

These include:

Construction
Local climate
Orientation on block - shading and facing north
Insulation
Double glazed windows
Energy efficient appliances
Heating and cooling
Lighting

Step 2

Show students the slides on the attached visual explainer, which explain the rating system and provide examples of a 6-star and 9-star house.

Note: In the global vision of renewable energy and sustainable building design, 6-star homes are actually considered a pretty poor standard. Six stars include roof, walls, floor, windows and lighting, but not internal appliances (nor solar heating). The materials must be thermally efficient in a building’s location (climate zone). The building materials and insulation must meet certain thermal efficiency standards. The windows would typically be larger on the north-facing side and small or shaded on the southern side. The building must be pretty air-tight. Ventilation includes things like windows being able to open to catch local breezes. There is a range of ‘orientation’ - simply facing due north can add another star.

Ask students to think of examples and ways that these categories can lead to the efficiency of the building. A lot of these categories students will have some understanding of based on their learnings in the previous lessons in this unit or even their prior knowledge of energy, thermal energy and electromagnetic radiation, and energy efficiency

You might like to ask your students if they know of any of these features in their own houses, how many stars do they think their own houses would have?

Step 3

Explain to students that there are only around 14 houses in Australia that have been certified as being 10 stars! You can watch this video with your students to show them an example of what a 10-star house can look like.

SUHO 10 Star Home: Renovate or Rebuild feature - SUHO Australia (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phYAdcTfhg4)

As they watch ask your students to again take note of the features that are necessary for obtaining 10 stars.

Discuss with your students why the designers would

Want to make the floors dark in colour
Ensure the house is airtight
Electrify the house (use no gas)
Face the house a certain way
Insulate the house extremely well
Use solar panels
Use material like concrete for the floors

Encourage them to give their answers using the science they have learnt from this or other energy units.

Take Action: Exploring energy efficiency in buildings

Step 1

Divide your students into pairs (or they could complete this one individually); their task in this Take Action is to explore a concept from the star ratings a little more deeply to understand how it contributes to the energy efficiency of a building.

Ask students to choose a concept that was listed on the visual explainer for a 9-star home or a concept they heard about in the 10-star home video. Their job is to research this aspect to understand:

What is this concept
What scientific concept explains its efficiency?
- For example - insulation has to do with heat transfer and conservation with the thermal conductivity of materials in mind.
Why does this concept contribute to the overall efficiency of the building?
What materials or design features enable this concept to be as efficient as possible?
Does it need to work in tandem with any other aspect?
What environmental benefits does this have?
What cost benefits does this have?

Step 2

Invite students to look at the Million Jobs Plan. This plan outlines a strategy to create one million jobs in Australia while addressing climate change and transitioning to a sustainable, zero-emissions economy.

Chapter 2 - Better Buildings, outlines how more careers will be created in this sector as Australia transitions to a net zero economy. Encourage students to look through this plan and see if the concept they researched in the above step is mentioned.

Advise students to look for what is said about how this concept will

Increase the efficiency of buildings
Create jobs
Allow us to transition to a net zero economy with fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

Step 3

Pitch Time! Students should create a one-minute pitch highlighting what they have learned to present to the class. In their pitch, they should try to convince students that this feature is a non-negotiable in building a new house or renovating an old one! They should focus on

The concept and how it can increase a building efficiency
How it enables us to move to a net zero economy (Where greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to a level that means we are putting as much greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as we are taking out)
What careers or jobs will be needed if we make these features standard

Reflection

Invite students to reflect on this lesson by answering the following questions

What was the most surprising thing you learned about the impact of buildings on climate change today?
Which concept related to building energy efficiency did you research, and how do you think it can make a difference in creating a more sustainable future?
Imagine a world where all buildings were designed for maximum energy efficiency. How do you think this would change our environment and our daily lives?
Consider the career opportunities mentioned in the Million Jobs Plan. Are there any roles or jobs that particularly interest you, and why?
How can you personally contribute to a more sustainable future in your own life, starting with the way you use energy in your home?

Understanding Energy Efficiency of Buildings

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UN Sustainable Development Goals

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