Going Green to $ave Green
Sustainability and EquityVideo Series
Sustainability & Equity Education
Beyond Green‘s focus is to help teachers educate students about energy efficiency, and in keeping with Beyond Green’s focus on Sustainability and Equity, has developed turnkey video lessons that integrate energy efficiency literacy into classrooms. The Going Green to $ave Green Video Series series is a cloud-based educational resource designed to help teachers bring energy efficiency lessons to the k-12 science classroom.
The series teaches the MATH of energy conservation, which are steps required to execute an energy savings opportunity.
- Measure your energy use,
- Analyze where you are using too much energy,
- Target a project for energy reduction, and then
- Hone-In on new opportunities as they arise.
The Going Green to $ave Green Video Series aligns with the common-core science and sustainability curriculum. It provides teachers with dedicated 5-to-7-minute lessons that lead to great discussions and opportunities to continue learning through inquiry. Each video builds upon grade-appropriate skills in math and science to build energy efficiency literacy. The series can give students the analytical skills to understand the financial consequences of their decisions.
Series Overview
At the end of the video series, Beyond Green provides questions designed for use across the various curriculums that may exist in different regions. Questions are grouped according to the level of cognitive development as identified by Bloom’s Taxonomy and cross-referenced with core subject strands in the curriculum: Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Earth and Space Science.
Each core subject is divided into 5 strands to classify the learning opportunity. For instance, Optics is a strand in physics. Optics questions would change dependent on the cognitive development of the student. You would ask 5th-grade students questions testing their Knowledge and understanding while 10th-grade students would answer questions testing their Analytical and Evaluation skills. Some questions hit multiple strands in a curriculum. So, questions can be listed with one or two subject strand identifiers, and pictures are used to identify question subject areas in the bottom left-hand corner of the question sets.
By applying grade-level math skills to real-world examples, students can begin to understand the real-world application of science lessons, and hopefully, increase their interest in pursuing a STEM career.
Question sets follow the end of the videos to complete a tailor-made lesson for the teacher. They are also available here.
Calculating Conservation
To build energy efficiency literacy, start with a learner’s basic understanding of utility charges and energy usage to identify saving opportunities. In the Calculation Conservation video grouping, you can learn the skills needed to become more energy efficient.
- Measurement: The first step of Calculating Conservation. Understand how much energy you use, where you use it, and how charges work.
- Analyze: Once you know how much energy you use, try to understand how you use energy and where your opportunities for energy efficiency exist. Learn about energy usage changes during the year and how you can compare energy use with your friends.
- Target: Achievable projects must be targeted and executed. The common targets for residential and general service users are explained.
- Hone-In: After an energy project is complete, redo your Math and move towards completing measures as they become economically viable.
Videos and Question Sets in This Unit
Cooling
Cooling is one of the largest electrical energy consumers. Refrigerators and ACs work hardest on the hottest days when power demand and power prices are at their peak. Improving the efficiency of cooling devices can go a long way in reducing long-term peak demand for electricity.
In this unit, the videos detail the universal process of cooling, the refrigeration cycle. The efficiency measurements used for different types of cooling devices are explained. Relative efficiencies of devices are examined: refrigerators, home ACs, Unitary ACs, and Chillers, as well as the benefits of water versus air-cooled ACs. An extension of the cooling series is the examination of Ground Source Heat Pumps and their business case. Surprisingly, heating with a GSHP is another energy-efficient process that relies on the refrigeration cycle to operate.
In 2023, I have updated the series to look at the savings potential of heat pumps and solar attic fans.
Videos and Question Sets in This Unit
Lighting
Lighting retrofits are going to be a key source of demand reduction over the next few years. We are in a period where LED technology is going to become the dominant lighting technology. Building your client’s energy efficiency literacy on lighting technology can limit market confusion about LEDs. Yes, it might slow the early adoption of LEDs, but you will be rewarded with faster and higher conversion rates later if you help limit market disinformation.
Demonstrating how the business case for lighting is built develops your credibility with your audience. It will give them a reason to return to your website for more information if you teach them how to evaluate difficult choices on energy efficiency.
Videos and Question Sets in This Unit
Power Generation
The electrical power grid is a system in action since electricity is powered by pushing. Electricity is pushed through wires into homes and businesses. When the electricity runs into a wall – an off switch, a short circuit, or closed path – it pushes its way down a better path, the path of least resistance.
Power generation involves even more pushing. In these videos, I will show you how power generation involves a system in action. All power is generated through mechanical force, even solar power. In most cases, power is generated using a turbine. A turbine uses the energy of moving fluids and converts them into mechanical energy. It can be simple as water falling on a paddlewheel, the wind blowing a fan turbine blade, or depressurized steam pushing a nuclear turbine.
Videos and Question Sets in This Unit
Demand Reduction
Utilities cannot answer all of your customer’s questions when they want. A video on key conservation topics can help utilities communicate with your customers on their schedules. Plus video messages can ensure consistency in messages. They provide scripted answers to difficult concepts, like M&V, using visual, auditory, and text examples while supporting other learners as they work their way through new concepts.
More than any other marketing material, a good video supports the learning styles of your clients, and maximizes the effectiveness of your message. Finally, good video content can reduce the amount of time your staff spends handling queries, increasing productivity.
Videos and Question Sets in This Unit
Measurement & Verification of Energy Savings
Variable Speed Drives
