Student Energy Audit Training
Students unpack a toolkit with a foot candle meter, watt meter, and infrared thermometer
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Student Energy Audit Training (SEAT) is a cornerstone of the PowerSave program. During these half or full-day sessions, students learn the basics of what energy is, where it comes from, and why it is important to use it efficiently. A variety of lesson videos, breakout activities, and hands-on experiments give students a range of ways to understand and interact with energy use. One such experiment involves a lightbulb lineup, as students determine whether incandescent, CFL, or LED light bulbs are more efficient based on data they collect from each bulb.
Finally, students get out of the classroom and perform an audit of their entire school. Armed with a foot candle meter, watt meter, and infrared thermometer, the group takes to the hallways to discover the biggest energy consumers on campus. Putting the foot candle meter on desks and chairs helps students determine if a classroom is overlit, underlit, or just right. Meanwhile the watt meter helps identify phantom loads—electronics that use power when they’re plugged in and not in use. The team also takes the room’s temperature to determine if the air conditioning or heating system is working too hard. The audit gives students data that they use to make recommendations for how to save energy on campus. |
ContextStudents learn where energy comes from. Above shows the amount of coal needed to power one incandescent light bulb for a year.
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ImpactSEATs connect energy and the environment-- above, Maldives holds a cabinet meeting under water to draw attention to climate change.
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CostSchools spend $6-8 billion on electricity bills annually.
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Spotlight: Monrovia USDLocal project leader Rachel Butrum had creative and innovative students at her SEATs in Santa Fe Middle School and Monrovia High School. These teams were hugely successful as each group audited multiple classrooms and found that right-lighting is an option for a majority of classrooms on campus. This is incredibly exciting for students, considering the huge savings opportunity that lighting represents. Additionally, each of the teams broke up into smaller committees to discuss smaller projects. These committees included groups dedicated to arts & media, school outreach, patrol contest, among others. Auditing examines big picture goals, while these committee sessions allowed for specific time for smaller benchmarks that contribute to the long-term strategy. This format gave students the ability to really see concrete steps they can take to make a difference at their schools and in their communities.
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Have you noticed how coffee shops create a mood that makes you want to stay and hang out? Lighting has a lot to do with that. During SEATs, students learn about appropriate lighting levels for different kinds of spaces.
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