When they seem to be getting the drift of it, distribute the home energy-use sheets. Explain to students how they will be checking their gas and electricity meters at home daily. They will compute a total for both cubic feet of gas and kilowatt-hours. If possible, it would be interesting to have one student do the school meters. Each day in class, you can take a few minutes co see if anyone has had any problems At the end of the week, everyone can see how much electricity and gas their family has used.
Lengthy discussions can develop around the energy use in different homes.
Students can compare the type of appliances they have to the amount of energy they use. Week-long samples can be done at different times of year and compared. This illustrates where energy use is highest, usually when heating or air conditioning are used. Chart or graph a year's worth of your own energy bills and present them to your class. Discuss with students the possible reasons for the fluctuations.