eesmarts Resources for Parents

An energy-efficient Connecticut starts with energy-smart students and their families.  For families interested in exploring energy at home, we provide several home-based lessons great for all ages.

MANAGING HOME ENERGY USE
Grades 3-12 
Managing Home Energy Use is an at-home supplement to NEED’s School Energy unit. These activities follow the same six-lesson format as the in-school guides and expand upon the energy efficiency and conservation knowledge gained while using the home as the learning laboratory. Students will work to apply observations from in-school lessons and teach their households about their knowledge gains and energy behavior changes as they conduct a step-by-step audit of their homes. Activities will help homeowners uncover energy and money-saving actions right away. 

PLUG LOADS 
Grades 6-12 
This unit guides students through an in-depth investigation of electricity consumption by appliances and machines in the school building. Students gather data, calculate energy use and economic and environmental costs over time, and determine ways to reduce consumption. Students also explore phantom or vampire loads and the many operational modes electrical devices employ. Instructional masters are included and digital copies of spreadsheets are available on NEED’s website. 

ENERGY HOUSE 
Grades 3-12 
In this activity, students learn about efficiency, conservation, and diminishing returns by using various materials to build and insulate a model house and then test its efficiency. 

ENERGY CONSERVATION CONTRACT 
Grades 4-12 
In this outreach activity, students learn about energy conservation and ask their families to sign contracts in which they agree to save energy. Students then calculate the energy savings and re-evaluate their conservation measures.

Energy Education Resource Links:

Explore these great websites for information, games, and activities on energy, safety, and conservation.