EGEE 102: Energy Conservation for Environmental Protection

Instructor

© Penn State University
Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Summer 2026
Jennifer Clemons, Ed.D.
Associate Teaching Professor of Energy and Mineral Engineering

Course Overview

Description: Energy is a vital component of modern society. Much of the general population believes that the energy sources we depend on are perpetual. While people believe that energy use is the culprit for environmental damage, they are not aware of the methods and principles by which energy conversion devices operate. This general education course will provide you with the necessary knowledge and information on the main operating principles of devices/appliances that are in common use, and information on how to make the right decision in selecting the most energy-efficient and economical choice. These devices are day-to-day appliances such as refrigerators, washers and dryers, ovens, etc., and home heating or cooling and transportation choices. The course also provides necessary information on heating furnaces, insulation, doors and windows, lighting, and air conditioning principles. The objective of the course is to expose you to energy efficiency in day-to-day life in order to save money and energy and thereby protect the environment. I hope the information in this course will help you become an environmentally responsible individual of this Global Village.

Course Objectives

Welcome to EGEE 102: Energy Conservation for Environmental Protection!

This course is designed to help you:

• gain a basic understanding and appreciation of energy efficiency and environmental concepts;
• learn basic operating principles of day-to-day energy conversion devices;
• discuss various options to increase energy efficiency;
• examine ways to save energy and money; and
• explore ways to save the environment.

Course Outline

• Lesson 1: Energy Fundamentals
  • Define energy using the physics definition: the capacity to do work or produce heat
  • State the Law of Conservation of Energy and explain its significance in scientific analysis
  • Identify the six key forms of energy: mechanical, chemical, thermal, electrical, radiant, and nuclear
  • Describe the difference between kinetic energy (energy of motion) and potential energy (stored energy)
  • Distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable energy sources with at least two examples of each
• Lesson 2: Energy, Power and Utility Bills
  • Distinguish work, energy, and power using everyday examples
  • Convert between units (joules ↔ kilowatt-hours) to connect physics class to your utility bill
  • Calculate energy use: Energy = Power × Time (e.g., a 100 W bulb running 10 hours = 1 kWh)
  • Interpret appliance labels to estimate real-world costs
  • Decode an actual electricity bill—spotting how many kWh you used and why your cost per kWh isn't just the "supply rate"
• Lesson 3: Energy Supply and Demand
  • Analyze historical trends to understand how the Industrial Revolution transformed global energy use
  • Compare energy consumption patterns across countries and connect them to GDP, geography, and lifestyle
  • Investigate interactive data visualizations to see how fossil fuels still dominate—and how renewables are rising
  • Evaluate three potential energy futures from the International Energy Agency and consider what "Net Zero" really means
  • Calculate real-world applications like energy doubling time to grasp the scale of future demand
• Lesson 4: Energy Efficiency
  • Define and calculate efficiency of an energy conversion device;
  • Explain why energy conversion devices cannot achieve 100% efficiency 
  • Convert temperatures between Celsius and Kelvin;
  • Explain operating principles of a heat engine; and
  • Calculate overall efficiency from step efficiencies.
• Lesson 5: Environmental Impacts of Energy Production
  • Identify the primary environmental impacts associated with major energy sources (fossil fuels, nuclear, hydropower, wind, solar, and biomass).
  • Compare the trade-offs between energy technologies across multiple dimensions: greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, water consumption, land use and change, and waste generation.
  • Explain how combustion of fossil fuels releases pollutants that affect human health, ecosystems, and climate—and describe the chemical processes behind key emissions (CO₂, NOₓ, SO₂, PM).
  • Analyze the water-energy nexus by evaluating withdrawal vs. consumption across different electricity generation methods and assessing regional implications.
  • Evaluate the challenges and strategies for managing high-level nuclear waste, including storage technologies and policy considerations.
  • Recognize examples of successful environmental policy—such as the Montreal Protocol and the U.S. Acid Rain Program—and explain how science, technology, and international cooperation enabled positive change.
• Lesson 6: Appliances
  • Read EnergyGuide Labels: Learn to interpret the yellow labels on appliances that estimate annual energy use and operating costs.
  • Compare Models: Evaluate multiple options to determine which offers the best value.
  • Calculate Life Cycle Cost (LCC): Learn to look beyond the purchase price. We will show you how to calculate the total cost of ownership—including energy use over the appliance's lifetime.
  • Determine Simple Payback: Is it worth paying $500 more upfront for a model that saves $50 a month? We'll teach you the math to find out how long it takes to recover that extra cost.
• Lesson 7: Hot Water
  • Identify the 6 main types of water heaters
  • Calculate the energy consumption required to heat water 
  • Compare upfront cost vs. annual energy use of different types of hot water heaters
  • Evaluate the life cycle cost of different types of hot water heaters
• Lesson 8: Lighting
  • Explain how different lamp types (incandescent, halogen, fluorescent, HID, LED) produce light
  • Compare lighting efficiency using lumens, watts, and lumens-per-watt
  • Identify lighting controls that reduce waste without sacrificing comfort
  • Perform a life-cycle cost analysis to compare total ownership costs
• Lesson 9: Heating
  • Define the three mechanisms of heat transfer: conduction, convection, and radiation
  • Explain what Heating Degree Days (HDD) are and why the base temperature is 65°F
  • Describe how insulation works and what R-Value measures
  • Identify common home heating fuels (natural gas, oil, propane, electricity) and their typical uses by region
  • Calculate daily, monthly, and seasonal Heating Degree Days using average temperature data
  • Compare insulation materials using R-Value and explain how layered construction improves thermal resistance
  • Calculate simple payback periods for energy upgrades to determine if an investment is financially worthwhile
• Lesson 10: Home Cooling and Windows
  • Explain the relationship between humidity and temperature;
  • Describe how an air conditioner works;
  • Describe different types of air conditioning systems;
  • Calculate the monetary savings when the efficiency of an air conditioner is improved.
• Lesson 11: Transportation
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• Lesson 12: Home Energy Audit - The Building Envelope
  • Explain how residential energy use connects to climate change, household budgets, and indoor comfort
  • Identify the three primary pathways of energy loss in buildings (air leakage, insufficient insulation, inefficient equipment)
  • Conduct a no-cost DIY energy audit of their current living space using household items
  • Analyze a utility bill (real or sample) to establish energy consumption baselines
  • Prioritize energy improvements using a simple cost-benefit framework

Materials

All the instructional material for EGEE 102 is presented online. As described above, EGEE 102 consists of 10 online lessons. These lessons include text, graphics, videos, animations, interactive activities, numerical problems, and electronic whiteboard discussions of numerical problems. Quizzes have been developed to test your understanding of the material covered in the 10 lessons.