Energy Audit

Hurley’s C3 Club members also conducted an energy audit in the school building. This audit was performed in order to find the amount of energy wasted in the school building. This was done by going to classrooms in the main building and observing ways that energy was lost in each room.

Club members looked for signs that a room was wasting energy. Some of those signs included lights being left on, cracks in the windows, and peeling paint. Cracked windows meant that air would be escaping the room and causing the heating and cooling system to have to work harder to maintain a constant temperature in a classroom. Peeling paint also suggests that air is escaping and entering the room because the moisture in the outside air causes paint to peel.

Energy can also be consumed by “vampire energy”. This is when a device is turned off but it still uses electricity because it is plugged in. Did you know that many electronics (such as computers, televisions, game consoles, appliances etc.) continue to use electricity while not in use? You can avoid this by unplugging electronics when not in use or by the use of power strips and shutting them off when the devices are not in use.