Home Energy Audit
Activity - Classroom
Grades6, 7, 8Engineering
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by EarthEcho International
What it is
- In this activity from EarthEcho International, students will perform an energy audit in their home or school.
- Students will understand that our energy use impacts the planet and the importance of using energy efficiently.
Teaching tips
Positives
- The introductory text provides a brief but effective overview of climate change.
- This resource does a great job of hyping kids up and empowering them to enact change.
Prerequisites
- Though this resource does include an overview of climate change, teachers should ensure that students understand the greenhouse effect and how our energy use exacerbates climate change.
Differentiation & Implementation
- After reading the introductory information for this activity, students may be interested to learn more about ocean acidification. This hands-on activity and this video can be paired together in a lesson on the topic.
- Teachers can combine this activity with this lesson about careers in energy auditing to show students the career opportunities in this field.
- Before sending students to explore the doors and windows independently, teachers may want to demonstrate how to tell if windows and doors have a good seal.
- After performing an audit, students can use their data in a writing exercise, writing to school personnel or parents about the suggested actions to take. Students can cite data from their audit and add a section to demonstrate their understanding of the connection between climate change and energy usage.
- To make connections to the Sustainable Development Goals, teachers can ask students to use this activity to explain the relationship between SDG 12, Responsible Consumption and Production, and SDG 14, Life Below Water.
From the scientist review
This resource encourages students to perform an energy audit of their environment to help reduce energy use and combat climate change. The steps needed to perform the audit are included. A short explanation about how climate change is affecting the ocean is included as a reason why reducing energy use is valuable. The resource empowers students to use their voice and take action. The information presented is accurate, and this resource is recommended for teaching.
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