Approximately 20 percent of the energy used in the United States is consumed in the home. Energy is used in many ways: to heat, cool, and light your rooms; to heat water; to refrigerate and cook your food; to wash and dry clothes; to entertain you; and to aid in personal care.
In this activity you will explore the number and kinds of appliances you have in your home. You will compare this information with the appliances an adult had in his/her home a generation ago. Your results should help you understand the important role that energy plays in your life, and why energy demand has increased. Keep in mind that most of this energy comes from fossil fuels.
PROCEDURE
1. Make a list of all the electrical appliances (and how many) in your home.
2. Show the list to your parents, and ask them which of the appliances they had in their home when they were your age
Questions
Questions (Include your lists) 1. How does the total number of appliances you use today differ from the number of appliances used by an adult when he/she was the age you are now? 2. Why do you think the numbers differ so greatly? What kinds of changes have taken place to make this possible? 3. Make a list of the appliances which you simply could not live without and another list the ones which you feel you could eliminate from your home. Why did you decide the way you did? 4. Which appliances were found in the homes of today which were not in the homes of people one generation ago? How do you feel people managed without these appliances? 5. What are the environmental impacts of the appliance explosion?
