Since the advent of the industrial age, energy has been the driving force for most societies. It has only been in the last few decades in American society that there has been a significant discussion concerning the enormous monetary, social and environmental effects of how we use and manage energy consumption. Although we will focus on enmergy use in the home, there are many opportunities for you to explore all aspects of energy production and use in the special projects area. Here are a few of the questions we will address in this module.

• What are the energy needs and for my
  • heating and pumping water?
  • cooking?
  • refrigeration?
• What are the economics of the various energy alternatives?
• What effect do construction materials have on energy use?
• Your Questions    This link will provide you with some ideas and provide a form for submitting your questions about energy consumption.
  

  Fields of Science to be Addressed:

  Physics:

  • Thermodynamics
  • Electrical Energy
  • Solar Electric Energy
  Chemistry:
  • Chemical Energy
  

  Laboratory:

  1. Specific Heats and Heats of Transformation
  2. Photovoltaic Lab
  3. Combustion
  

  Projects and Extensions:

  • Direct Solar Heating
  • Wind Generators
  • Gasoline Generators
  • Microwave Ovens