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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