Unit C: Lesson C13 Energy Conservation
Completion requirements
Lesson C13: Energy Conservation
Video Lesson
How can people use less energy? Watch this video to learn more about energy conservation.
Lesson C13: Energy Conservation
Figure C.4.13.1– Germany is increasing its use of renewable energy sources.
Figure C.4.13.2– Germany is building many new offshore wind farms.
Germany’s Energy Revolution
Germany is a modern, developed country with more than twice the population of Canada on a land area smaller than the size of Alberta. It contains less fossil fuels than larger countries have. To meet the energy needs of its large population, Germany is dependent on buying fuel from other countries.
To be more self-sufficient and to stop contributing to climate change, Germany is changing its society to use more renewable energy. Germany is now a world leader in using renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power.
Germany is a modern, developed country with more than twice the population of Canada on a land area smaller than the size of Alberta. It contains less fossil fuels than larger countries have. To meet the energy needs of its large population, Germany is dependent on buying fuel from other countries.
To be more self-sufficient and to stop contributing to climate change, Germany is changing its society to use more renewable energy. Germany is now a world leader in using renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power.
Reading and Materials for This Lesson:
Science in Action 7
Materials:
Science in Action 7
Reading: Pages 245–250
Materials:
No other materials are required for this lesson.
After the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011, Germany decided to shut down all its nuclear power stations by 2022. The Germans have started to build massive offshore wind turbine farms in the
North Sea. Many German people buy solar panels to produce electricity for their houses. If they produce extra electricity, they can sell it to the electric grid.
In 2015, about 30% of Germany’s energy use came from renewable sources. Their goal is to reach 80% renewable energy sources by 2050.
In 2015, about 30% of Germany’s energy use came from renewable sources. Their goal is to reach 80% renewable energy sources by 2050.
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Germany’s Energy Revolution
Watch these videos to learn more about Germany’s energy revolution.
Watch these videos to learn more about Germany’s energy revolution.
Off-Grid Homes
Most homes get electricity from the electricity grid. The electricity grid is a network that connects generating stations and power lines to buildings. People have to pay for electricity they use from the grid. Along our roads or across the fields, power lines lead to most farm sites and towns in Alberta and throughout Canada.
Some people choose to live off-grid, which means that they do not connect their homes to the main electrical network. Rather, they generate their own electricity. People in remote areas often live off-grid by necessity because power lines are not available nearby.
Living off-grid has some advantages. In the long-term, people who live off-grid pay less for energy. In addition, they have chosen energy sources that may be helpful for the environment – or, at least, not harmful.
Living off-grid has disadvantages, of course. To install a renewable energy source costs a lot of money (but so does electricity from the grid). Off-grid energy is not always reliable, and people have to fix it themselves if it breaks. People in cities usually are not allowed to go completely off-grid because cities have more rules than rural areas have about burning wood, for example.
Most homes get electricity from the electricity grid. The electricity grid is a network that connects generating stations and power lines to buildings. People have to pay for electricity they use from the grid. Along our roads or across the fields, power lines lead to most farm sites and towns in Alberta and throughout Canada.
Some people choose to live off-grid, which means that they do not connect their homes to the main electrical network. Rather, they generate their own electricity. People in remote areas often live off-grid by necessity because power lines are not available nearby.
Living off-grid has some advantages. In the long-term, people who live off-grid pay less for energy. In addition, they have chosen energy sources that may be helpful for the environment – or, at least, not harmful.
Living off-grid has disadvantages, of course. To install a renewable energy source costs a lot of money (but so does electricity from the grid). Off-grid energy is not always reliable, and people have to fix it themselves if it breaks. People in cities usually are not allowed to go completely off-grid because cities have more rules than rural areas have about burning wood, for example.
Figure C.4.13.3– Often, off-grid homes rely on solar power for electricity.
Figure C.4.13.4– This off-grid home has solar water heater pipes.
Watch More
Off-Grid Homes
This news report interviews some Canadians who live off-grid.
This news report interviews some Canadians who live off-grid.
Lesson Activity
Energy Efficiency At Home
In this activity, you will collect information about ways that people can save energy in their homes. This lesson activity will help you with your Unit C Project Assessment.
Download:
DOWNLOAD this document. It provides a table for you to record examples of energy conservation.
In this activity, you will collect information about ways that people can save energy in their homes. This lesson activity will help you with your Unit C Project Assessment.
Download:
DOWNLOAD this document. It provides a table for you to record examples of energy conservation.
Instructions:
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Construct a table with two columns. You can do this on a sheet of paper, type it, or download the Microsoft Word or PDF versions of the activity from the links above.
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Title the columns “Examples of Energy Conservation” and “Description”.
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Watch these videos. As you watch the videos, listen for examples of energy conservation in homes. Pause the video when you hear an example. List and describe the example in the correct columns of your table.
- Save your table. It will be useful for your Unit C Project Assessment.
These videos give a general overview of how to save energy in homes.
These videos explain home lighting choices that conserve energy.
These videos explain home appliance choices that conserve energy.
These videos explain windows that conserve energy.
These videos explain how heating systems and programmable thermostats conserve energy.
This video explains how effective home insulation conserves energy.
This video explains how tankless water heaters conserve energy.
Make sure you have understood everything in this lesson. Use the Self-Check below, and the Self-Check & Lesson Review Tips to
guide your learning.
Unit C Lesson 13 Self-Check
Instructions
Complete the following 6 steps.
Don't skip steps – if you do them in order, you will confirm your
understanding of this lesson and create a study bank for the future.
- DOWNLOAD the self-check quiz by clicking here.
- ANSWER all the questions on the downloaded quiz in the spaces provided. Think carefully before typing your answers. Review this lesson if you need to. Save your quiz when you are done.
- COMPARE your answers with the suggested "Self-Check Quiz Answers" below. WAIT! You didn't skip step 2, did you? It's very important to carefully write out your own answers before checking the suggested answers.
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REVISE your quiz answers if you need to. If you answered all the questions correctly, you can skip this step. Revise means to change, fix, and add extra notes if you need to. This quiz is NOT FOR MARKS, so it is perfectly OK to correct
any mistakes you made. This will make your self-check quiz an excellent study tool you can use later.
- SAVE your quiz to a folder on your computer, or to your Private Files. That way you will know where it is for later studying.
- CHECK with your teacher if you need to. If after completing all these steps you are still not sure about the questions or your answers, you should ask for more feedback from your teacher. To do this, post in the Course Questions Forum, or send your teacher an email. In either case, attach your completed quiz and ask; "Can you look at this quiz and give me some feedback please?" They will be happy to help you!
Self-Check Time!
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Self-Check Quiz Answers
Click each of the suggested answers below, and carefully compare your answers to the suggested answers.
If you have not done the quiz yet – STOP – and go back to step 1 above. Do not look at the answers without first trying the questions.
Here are several examples to reduce energy use in your everyday life:
- Turn down the furnace temperature (the thermostat) and put on a sweater.
- Turn off lights when you are not using them.
- Take shorter hot showers.
- Don’t leave electronics plugged in when they are not being used.
- Walk or bike instead of driving a car.
Energy conservation is important for several reasons.
- Using less energy saves people money.
- Conserving energy reduces environmental pollution.
- Conservation reduces the use of non-renewable energy sources that are expensive to extract.
Several improvements can be made to a house to conserve energy, such as the following:
- Use more efficient electrical appliances to conserve electricity.
- Install more insulation to prevent thermal heat loss from the house.
- Install double-pane windows to prevent thermal heat loss from the house.
People can use less energy for transportation by walking or bicycling whenever possible, or they can take public transit when it is available. If people need to use a car, they can combine errands into one trip instead of driving many short
trips.
Energy Star is a label placed on efficient household appliances that use minimal energy. Energy Star provides information to buyers who want to choose energy-efficient appliances.