Which method of generating heat would be best for our community?

What you'll need

• Digital projector and screen
• "Recommending a power source for generating heat in my community" worksheet
• "Rating a power source for generating heat" worksheet
• "Profiling a power source for generating heat" worksheet
• "How is natural gas used to create heat in our homes?" handout
• "How is geothermal used to create heat in our homes?" handout
• "How is solar power used to create heat in our homes?" handout
• "How is hydroelectricity used to create heat in our homes?" handout
• Sample profile graph

1. Begin this activity by asking your students to suggest which power sources are used to provide heat in the homes and buildings in their community. In B.C., these might include sources like: natural gas, geothermal heat pumps, hydroelectricity, and/or solar electricity.

2. Provide each student with a copy of the worksheet "Recommending a power source for generating heat in my community". Draw students’ attention to the “My first thoughts” section and ask them to use the ranking ladder to rank the power sources from least desirable to most desirable. Encourage them to note any reasons to support their rankings.

3. Invite groups to share their ratings with the class. As students share their thinking, co-develop or present criteria for deciding which power source is the most desirable. Criteria could include:

• Cost for consumers
• Efficiency
• Reliability
• Impacts on the environment (e.g., air quality, water quality, soil quality)
• Impacts on wildlife
• Impacts on human health
• Control of energy (i.e., centralized or decentralized)
• Security of fuel
• Safety
• Convenience (e.g., on demand vs. intermittent access to electricity)

Note the criteria on a whiteboard or chart paper for use later in this lesson.

4. Assign each group with one of the power sources for generating heat. Provide each group with the handout for their assigned method, and a copy of the worksheet "Rating a power source for generating heat". Briefly explain that their challenge is to rate the desirability of their assigned power source for generating heat in homes and buildings by following these steps:

• Note the criteria created earlier in this lesson in the left-hand column of the activity sheet.
• Use information from briefing sheets to identify advantages and challenges in each criteria. 
• Rate the power source using each criteria (a 0 represents “significant challenge” and a 5 represents “significant advantage”).

5. Invite groups to share their ratings with the class, encouraging them to suggest one advantage and one challenge of their assigned power source that was especially surprising.

6. Direct students’ attention back to the worksheet "Recommending a power source for generating heat" and the “Second thoughts” section. Ask them to reflect on their initial ratings. Would they keep or change their initial decisions? What reasons would they give for their decision?

7. Provide each group with a copy of worksheet "Profiling a power source for generating heat". Explain to students that their task is to create a visual representation or profile of their assigned power source for generating heat by following these steps: 

• Label each end of a line with one of the criteria used to assess the power source for generating heat. The ends of each line should have different labels (e.g., impacts on water and efficiency). Additional lines could be drawn on the graph if more criteria are used.
• Record the rating for each criteria on the chart. After each rating has been noted, instruct students to draw a continuous line to connect the ratings (a Sample profile graph has been included to show what the graph might look like for various methods of heat generation).

8. Invite groups to share their visual profiles with the class. Discuss what the profiles reveal about the power sources for generating heat.

9. Guide students’ attention back to the worksheet "Recommending a power source for generating heat". Draw students’ attention to the “My final thoughts” section and ask them to use the ranking ladder to decide which method of generating heat would be best for their community. Remind students to use the information and evidence from this lesson to support their thinking.

10. Conclude the activity by inviting students to reflect on their learning about the various power sources. Invite students to suggest which power sources might best support conservation and sustainability in their community and the province.