Tips for Developing Questions Areas of interest in the design of staff interviews: How aware are staff of their spaces and the devices or systems that use energy? How familiar are staff with controls such as thermostats and energy saving settings for equipment? What are their patterns of use regarding these devices and systems? What are their feelings and opinions about energy use and energy efficiency? Are they aware of any energy waste in their work environment? What are they? Are they familiar with energy conservation practices? What are they? Are they employing any energy conservation practices? Which practices? Types of energy consuming systems and devices: Climate control; heating, air conditioning, ventilation Lighting; natural lighting, overhead lighting, task lighting Business machines; copiers, projectors, printers Computers; desktop, laptop, accessories Miscellaneous plug loads; pencil sharpeners, chargers, adapters Anything specific to the staff person (i.e., cafeteria refrigerator, gym exercise machines)
Gathering and Analyzing Data Use the Data Forms on the following pages to record information about the space you are analyzing. The forms are broken into the following sections with a listing of the equipment needed for each section: Building Envelope: Digital Thermometer, Digital Humidity/Temperature Pen HVAC: Digital Thermometer, Digital Humidity/Temperature Pen Lighting: Flicker Checker, Light Meter Electrical Devices: Kill A Watt® Monitor In addition to gathering your data, keep in mind that you are interested in learning how efficient your building is. While you are gathering your data, use the Observation Data Form to record your observations and thoughts about energy usage in the school. For each location, note every incidence in which energy was being used and list it on the form. If you believe that energy is being used efficiently, the observation should be listed in the right hand section (+) of the form. If you believe that energy is being used inefficiently, list it on the left hand section (—) of the form. An example might be if you entered a classroom not being used at the time of your visit. If the lights in the room were on even though no one was in the room, it would be listed on the left hand section (—) of the form. After completing your analysis of the costs and environmental impacts of using electrical appliances, review your Observation Data Form to see if your results here provide you with more information to include there. During your energy survey, you may have observed other areas where energy was being used efficiently and areas where it was not being used efficiently. Note these on your form.
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