These online assessment ideas focus on selected required knowledge from the MSS11 SS5 Recommend energy improvements Skill Set. They do not cover all the assessment requirements for the Skill Set.
UPDATE: These resources have not been designed or mapped to the updated units in the MSS Sustainability Training Package. However they do cover some of the key aspects of the MSS units of competency.
The following abbreviations have been used to show where the requirements are in the Skill Set units:
- E – Element
- PC – Performance Criteria
- RK – Required Knowledge
- RS – Required Skills
Drivers for energy efficiency
This is a requirement in MSS017002A (RK)
Guidance
The Skill Set requires the learner to understand the drivers for improving energy efficiency in the organisation.
There are several possible drivers including:
- Standards, codes of practice, and external targets. Examples are the AS/NZS ISO 14000 Environmental Management Standards, NSW Energy Savings Actions Plans, and greenhouse gas protocols
- Legislation and regulations such as the Energy Efficiency Opportunities Act (2006)
- Business drivers such as reducing cost and improving productivity – energy is a significant and increasing cost. Energy costs could be reduced, or there could be more production for the same cost over time, or the rate of increase in costs could be reduced.
- Business plans and goals which provide strategic direction, for example a strategic sustainability plan or goals to audit energy use.
- Commitment to social, economic and environmental sustainability
- Availability of grants and funding to support energy efficiency
Sample question
This question is presented as matching items. The learner is given a list of statements from businesses to match up with a driver for energy efficiency.
Online this could be a “drag and drop” function where an incorrect answer won’t drop into place. Only a correct answer will stay in place and allow the learner to move on to the next term. On paper this can be done by drawing a line between the matching statement and term.
Statements from business
- We want to meet pressure from our customers saying we want you to do something about sustainability.
- The driver might be a price signal saying we need to keep the costs of energy down.
- There could be pressure from other stakeholders saying we need you to assess this and tell us what the number is before we do business with you.
- Often for State government tenders there is a 20% weighting on having an environmental metric that can be proved and backed up.
- Everything we have done fits in with our goals to be viable and reduce costs. It couldn’t dovetail more perfectly, setting aside the environmental feel good side it, it is really just good business.
Driver for energy efficiency
- Client expectations
- Client requirements
- Business goals
- Reducing costs
- External targets
Correct answers
- We want to meet pressure from our customers saying we want you to do something about sustainability – Client expectations
- The driver might be a price signal saying we need to keep the costs of energy down – Reducing costs
- There could be pressure from other stakeholders saying we need you to assess this and tell us what the number is before we do business with you – Client requirements
- Often for State government tenders there is a 20% weighting on having an environmental metric that can be proved and backed up – External targets
- Everything we have done fits in with our goals to be viable and reduce costs. It couldn’t dovetail more perfectly, setting aside the environmental feel good side it, it is really just good business – Business goals
Identifying energy waste
This is a requirement in MSS017002A (Descriptor, PC 2.1, RK, Range)
Guidance
The Skill Set requires the learner to use energy balancing to determine the wasted energy, which is the difference between actual energy used and theoretical energy use.
Energy balancing is a calculation technique based on the first law of thermodynamics which says that energy cannot be created nor destroyed. The energy that goes into a process will equal the energy leaving, unless it has been stored or consumed (converted) somewhere in the process. The energy balancing technique calculates the energy consumed by a process.
In this Skill Set the energy consumed is compared with the theoretical energy which should be consumed by the process. The difference is wasted energy. Energy balancing allows us to quantify energy streams which we cannot measure.
Energy balancing (or a similar approach) will give the total waste. The total waste is a combination of the obvious, easily measured waste and the non-obvious waste.
Sample question
The question is presented as True or False.
Energy balancing is a calculation technique based on the first law of thermodynamics which says that energy cannot be created nor destroyed. This technique can be used to calculate the theoretical energy consumed by a process.The correct answer is True.The incorrect answer is False.
Identifying energy loss
This is a requirement in MSS017002A (Descriptor, PC 2.1, RK, Range)
Guidance
The Skill Set requires the learner to calculate resource efficiency/loss.
The learner will need to be able to determine process loss through mass or energy balancing.
Mass balancing is an analysis technique that allows for the calculation of mass flows and consumption through a process and losses of mass from the system/product.
Energy balancing is an analysis technique that allows for the calculation of energy flows and consumption through a process and the losses of energy from the system/product.
Mass and energy balancing may be undertaken as separate activities or in some circumstances as a combination.
Sample question
This question is presented as putting statements in order. The learner is given a series of statements and asked to put them in an order that would be used to determine the energy loss.
Online this could be presented as putting the statements in order (there could be 2 correct options – 1,2,3,4,5,6 or 5,6,1,2,3,4), matching the statements to an order of 1 to 6 or identifying the statements to do with calculating the actual energy used (2,3,4), and calculating the theoretical heat used (5). On paper the learner could number the statements 1 to 6.
This question is designed to be used in formative assessment to introduce the concept of energy balancing.
1. Measure 1L of water in the kettle2. Time how long it takes to boil the kettle3. Look the rating plate on the kettle and see how many Watts it uses
4. Calculate the actual energy used to boil the water
5. Calculate the theoretical energy consumed using the specific heat capacity of water, after measuring the water temperature to start with
6. Subtract the theoretical heat from the actual heat to get the heat wasted.
