ENERGY CONSERVATION PRACTICES : A STUDY AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
By Lakshmi S , Physical science, Bachelor of Education
St. Thomas College of Teacher Education, Pala.
ABSTRACT
One of the ways to deal with the constantly expanding need for energy and the issues it brings is to focus on
energy conservation. This is a term that has been discussed at great length recently in the news, on social media,
and in academic circles. The sample of 35 students were selected from high school students of St. Augustine’s
H.S.S. Ramapuram and a study titled as”Energy Conservation :A study among high school students” has been
undertaken by the investigator.
The main objectives of the study were to find the level of energy conservation practices done by high school
students at personal level and to find the level of energy conservation practices done by high school students at
home level /school level.
The investigator followed descriptive survey method for the collection of data. An inventory including15 questions
was distributed via online through google form. Questions were objective based. First six questions were based
on the objective 1,next five questions were based on the objective 2. Rating scale was used for assigning
scores.(Always-4 marks, sometimes -3 marks, rarely-2 marks, never-1 mark). The statistical techniques
employed to analyse the data are: Mean, Mode, Median and Standard Deviation. Histogram and pie chart were
drawn.
From the data analysis it was found that majority of the high school students show moderate level of
conservation of energy at personal level.22.87% are very good at conservation of energy at personal level.
Majority of the high school students show moderate level of conservation of energy at home/school level.17.15%
show poor level of conservation of energy at home/school level. Due to the current issues facing energy
consumption and its associated limits, the meaning of energy conservation today mainly encompasses ways to
prevent wasteful use of energy in the environment.
INTRODUCTION
Energy has become part and parcel of our daily lives. Energy is something that all living
organisms need or rely upon, including human beings and animals.The sun provides energy
directly or indirectly to all living things, including plants and animals.
We use energy for lighting our homes, operating machinery and industrial equipment, cooking
food, playing music, powering a wide range of appliances, and so on. However, excessive
consumption of energy is expensive, not to mention, harmful to our environment. Energy comes
in many forms, but only electrical energy and thermal energy (fuel) can be saved. Luckily, there
are several ways we can reduce energy consumption while still enjoying its full benefits.
ENERGY CONSERVATION
Energy conservation means reducing the consumption of energy by
producing or using less of it. This could be in the form of using fewer energy services or
using devices that require less energy. Refraining from using services or products is one way
to conserve energy, but this can also be done by using more energy efficient
products designed to consume less energy than their standard counterparts. Energy
conservation is a big part of sustainability and sustainable development.
There are countless examples of energy conservation that we know. These include flicking
off the lights when leaving a room, unplugging devices or appliances when they’re not
actively being used, and cycling instead of driving whenever possible.
Some Methods ofEnergy Conservation
TurnThingsDown
Given that energy cannot be created or destroyed, energy conservation is about conserving
it rather than eliminating it. One of the most effective methods to conserve energy is to
turn things down that require a lot of heat or energy.
TurnOff andUnplug
Some things are better to turn off completely, as they use energy even when not being
actively used. While it’s better to turn the heat down rather than off (because spaces need to
be heated to at least some degree), many appliances and devices should be unplugged or
switched off when not in use.
Substitute and Be More Efficient
Substituting certain devices for others is one way of practicing energy efficiency to achieve
energy conservation. Some items and devices you need to use on a daily basis, but swapping
them for more energy efficient versions could result in valuable energy savings.
Do It yourself
Using human power instead of a device to do the same job will help conserve energy. This
could include walking or biking instead of driving whenever possible, using a hand saw
instead of an electric one, or a push mower instead of a gas lawnmower. Doing things
yourself can add up to a lot of energy conservation.
Following some energy conservation tips
There are some tips to use energy more efficiently. Unplugging chargers of electrical
equipments only after it getting fully charged, fillilng petrol/disel full tank instead of filling
required quantities, ironing clothes as a set instead of ironing one by one etc. are some tips to
use energy more efficiently.
NEED AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Energy conservation is “the prevention of the wasteful use of energy, especially in order to
ensure its continuing availability,” according to the official Collins definition. This is
important to note because there is another definition of the term. In physics, energy
conservation is defined as “the principle by which the total energy remains constant in a
system that is not subject to external influence.”
Energy growth is directly linked to well-being and prosperity across the globe. Meeting the
growing demand for energy in a safe and environmentally responsible manner is a key
challenge.
It’s good for the Environment
It Saves You Money
It Prevents Destruction of Habitats
It Combats Climate Change
It Enhances the Quality of Life
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The study that has been undertaken by the investigator can be titled as”Energy Conservation
:A study among high school students”.
.
Energy conservation is “the prevention of the wasteful use of energy, especially in order to
ensure its continuing availability,” according to the official Collins definition. This is
important to note because there is another definition of the term. In physics, energy
conservation is defined as “the principle by which the total energy remains constant in a
system that is not subject to external influence.”
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1. To find the level of energy conservation practices done by high school students at personal
level.
2. To find the level of energy conservation practices done by high school students at home
level /school level.
METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY
The investigator followed descriptive survey method for the collection of data.
Sample: The sample of 35 students were selected from high school students of St.
Augustine’s H.S.S. Ramapuram.The study was conducted from 05/07/2022 to 08/07/2022
and the relevant information was collected via online through google form.
TOOLS USED FOR THE STUDY
An inventory including15 questions was distributed among high school students of St.
Augustine’s H.S.S. Ramapuram via online through google form. Questions were objective
based. First six questions were based on the objective 1,next five questions were based on the
objective 2. Rating scale was used for assigning scores.(Always-4 marks, sometimes -3
marks, rarely-2 marks, never-1 mark).
STATISTICAL TECHNIQUES USED FOR THE STUDY
The statistical techniques employed to analyse the data are: Mean, Mode, Median
andStandard Deviation. Histogram and pie chart were drawn using Microsoft Excel.
DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
Analysis of first objective
The investigator fixed first objective as “To find the level of energy conservation practices
done by high school students at personal level.” In order to analyse the data collected from
responses, the total score out of 24 for each student was calculated. Mean, median, mode
and standard deviation were calculated from the distribution of scores. The mean of the
distribution of scores is 18.14 , median is 18 and mode is also calculated as 18. Standard
deviation is calculated as 2.30.
Using values of mean(m) and standard deviation(σ), (m + σ) and (m- σ) values were calculated . Thus obtained m + σ = 20.44 & m – σ= 15.84 . Thus based on the level of conservation of energy students were classified into three groups i.e, high level (score above
20.44), low level (score below 15.84) and moderate level (score in between 20.44 &15.84).
Analysis of second objective
The investigator fixed first objective as “To find the level of energy conservation practices
done by high school students at home level /school level.” In order to analyse the data
collected from responses, the total score out of 20 for each student was calculated. Mean,
median, mode and standard deviation were calculated from the distribution of scores. The
mean of the distribution of scores is 10.37,median is 11 and mode is calculated as 11,12 &
13. Standard deviation is calculated as 2.72.
Using values of mean(m) and standard deviation(σ), (m + σ) and (m- σ) values were
calculated . Thus obtained m + σ = 13.10 & m – σ= 7.65 . Thus based on the level of
conservation of energy students were classified into three groups i.e, high level (score above
13.10), low level (score below 7.65) and moderate level (score in between 13.10 &7.65)
Table 4: Classification of the students based on the level of energy conservation at home/school level.
Fig. 4: Pie chart showing percentage of the level of energy conservation at home/school level.
MAJOR FINDINGS OF THE STUDY
Majority of the high school students show moderate level of conservation of energy at
personal level.
22.87% are very good at conservation of energy at personal level.
Majority of the high school students show moderate level of conservation of energy at
home/school level.
17.15% show poor level of conservation of energy at home/school level.\
SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING THE LEVEL OF CONSERVATION OF ENERGY.
Conservation of energy at personal level should be increased.
Adopt the methods to use energy efficiently.
Doing things yourself can add up to a lot of energy conservation.
CONCLUSION
Energy conservation is incredibly important for several reasons. As a global society, we
generate and use more energy than ever before, and the demand for energy is continually
increasing. While we have been able to expand energy production to keep up with demand,
there are physical, geographical, and economic limits to how much can be produced. Energy
conservation is a big part of sustainability and sustainable development.
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