Background

Society relies on energy to survive. Regardless of how it is generated, our ability to reduce our use of energy is vital as we move into the future.

Saving energy is the term used to mean reducing our use of energy. In this program students will investigate ways that society has developed to reduce our usage of energy including smart building design, utilization of renewable energy resources, use of low energy appliances and future energy effiiciency options for transport.

Ecolinc is an ecologically sustainable designed (ESD) facility. It has been designed to use less energy and water than a conventional building. Ecolinc uses air movement to keep the building cool in summer and uses the sun’s energy to heat air in winter using hotbox technology. North facing double glazed windows enable natural light to enter the building so that Ecolinc rarely needs to turn any lights on. High thermal mass building materials assist in keeping the building at a comfortable temperature throughout the year.

Photovoltaic cells enable Ecolinc to generate 10% of its energy requirements, while solar hot water panels generate Ecolinc’s hot water supply. Two online systems monitor environmental conditions at Ecolinc. The Ecolinc Weather Wall records external weather conditions and the Ecolinc Building Maintenance System (BMS) monitors Ecolinc’s internal temperatures, gas, water and energy usage.

Learning Intentions

In this activity students will:

• Examine ways of reducing our energy consumption through the use of smart building design and energy efficient appliances
• Be able to explain how a simple solar house system works
• Investigate future options for the use of energy in transport.

Activities

Students will:

• Investigate the energy saving features of the Ecolinc building
• Construct a solar photovoltaic house system and investigate conditions for its optimal performance
• Make and test Lego vehicles powered by capacitors and solar panels
• Test appliances to investigate their energy consumption and efficiency.

Victorian Curriculum

• Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to inform personal and community decisions and to solve problems that directly affect people’s lives (VCSSU073 [1])
• Energy from a variety of sources can be used to generate electricity; electric circuits enable this energy to be transferred to another place and then to be transformed into another form of energy (VCSSU081 [2])
• With guidance, plan appropriate investigation types to answer questions or solve problems and use equipment, technologies and materials safely, identifying potential risks (VCSIS083 [3])
• Decide which variables should be changed, measured and controlled in fair tests and accurately observe, measure and record data (VCSIS084 [4])
• Compare data with predictions and use as evidence in developing explanations (VCSIS086 [5])