WHAT DOES ENERGY COST YOU?

GOAL:: The student will learn to express energy costs in terms of hours worked.

OBJECTIVES:: The student will be able to:; 1. Compute work unit costs for various goods, services, and activities.; 2. Divide energy costs by pay rate to determine how many hours of work it takes to pay for energy usage.; 3. Associate hours worked and accompanying pay "wasted" by energy wasteful activities.

LESSON/INFORMATION:: Many people have a difficult time putting the cost of goods and services in proper perspective. In dealing with expenses, they think of the expense of an item solely by the amount marked on the price tag. In fact, the real cost of an item is the amount of time that one must work to earn enough money to pay for the goods and services needed or desired.; This concept can also be applied to energy cost. If a student can be taught to look at the cost of the utility bill, for example, in terms of hours worked to pay that bill, his perspective on energy use may be altered. Instead of thinking of wasting energy, the student can be taught to think in terms of "hours of work" wasted. If the student realizes how many hours of work and how much of his paycheck is being spent for wasteful energy habits, he may become more conscious of energy conservation.; The student will calculate his "work unit cost" and then determine the time that must be spent at work to pay for goods and services or for energy consumption.; Work unit cost is defined as the number of hours an individual must work to pay for a particular good, service, or activity. It is calculated by dividing the cost of an item by the hourly rate of pay that the student earns.

EXAMPLE:: A student earns $4.50 an hour. If he purchases a pair of blue jeans for $22.50, the work unit cost of that item would be as follows:; COST / Wage or $22.50 / $4.50 = 5 HOURS OF WORK; Therefore, this student would have to work for five hours to pay for this pair of blue jeans.; This concept can also be applied to energy conservation. Examples of energy usage problems can be drawn up in all of the various program areas. The examples below can be made specific to the energy situations most likely encountered by those students.

EXAMPLE 1

HOW LONG DO YOU WORK FOR YOUR BAD DRIVING HABITS?: Suppose you are an average sort of driver and use about $100 of gasoline a month. Like most everyone, you have some bad driving habits. You probably drive a little above the speed limit; you use drive thrus for banks and fast food; you let your engine idle on occasion when it could be turned off; finally, you like to be the first one away from the traffic signal when it turns green.; Assume these bad driving habits increase your gasoline consumption by $10 a month. If you earn $4.00 an hour, how many more work hours are these bad driving habits costing you?

EXAMPLE 2

HOW LONG DO YOU WORK TO PAY FOR WASTED LIGHTING IN YOUR HOME?: Approximately 10% of the average household's energy budget is spent on lighting. Research has shown that by following more efficient lighting practices, half of this energy could be saved. Turning off lights when they are not in use, using bulbs of lower wattage, and using fluorescent lighting are just a few of the hints given to reduce energy wasted through lighting.; Suppose your family's monthly utility bill is $150; consequently, $15 a month is spent on lighting. If half of this expenditure, or $7.50, is wasteful, how many hours must you work, at $3.75 an hour, to pay for those lights you forgot to turn off?

Work Space:: __________Hours of Work; This concept of work unit cost can be applied to the cost of any goods, services, or activities. Purchasing a luxury car that has a poor miles per gallon rating, washing all clothing in hot water, or setting the thermostat too low looks less appealing once it is realized the hours that must be worked to pay for these habits.

INFORMATION CHECK

HOW LONG DO YOU WORK FOR THAT EXTRA OCTANE?: Suppose you find that regular unleaded gasoline sells for $1.15 a gallon and that super unleaded gasoline sells for $1.30 a gallon. Your car is rated as needing the octane level of the regular unleaded gasoline, but you like to use super unleaded gasoline so you chose the most expensive fuel.; If you use 1,000 gallons of gasoline a year and earn $4 an hour at your job, how long do you work for that unnecessary, higher octane fuel?

Calculate the following items:: 1. How much would you spend a year on regular octane fuel?; 2. How much would you spend a year on the super unleaded octane fuel?; 3. How much money a year do you "waste" by using the higher octane fuel?; 4. At your rate of pay, how many hours a year must you work to pay for this "high octane habit?; 5. What would you tell a friend or family member who uses high octane, super unleaded fuel in their vehicle that is rated as needing regular unleaded fuel?

TEACHER'S NOTES

DEFINITIONS:: 1. Octane - Higher octane fuel contains more potential energy and is more highly refined than regular fuel. It is not necessarily better, however, if the vehicle is rated for use with regular octane fuel.

ANSWERS TO INFORMATION CHECK:: 1. $1150; 2. $1300; 3. $150; 4. $150 / $4 = 37.5 Hours of work; 5. Look for answers such as:
-Using higher octane fuel than suggested for a vehicle is unnecessary.
-Higher octane fuel costs more and thus you are spending more for no reason.
-You have to work almost one full week in a year just to pay for this unnecessary energy use.

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