What would your students include in a home designed for Manitoba’s climate?

Our Energy-Efficient Design Challenge invites students in Grades 3 to 6 to step into the role of designers as they explore how homes can stay comfortable while using less energy. Through this hands-on workshop, students consider how features such as insulation, windows, lighting, and heating systems affect how much energy a home uses.

Rather than simply learning about energy efficiency, students get to apply it.

DESIGNING WITHIN A BUDGET

A unique part of the challenge is that students work with a budget. They can’t choose every feature they want. Instead, they need to decide where to invest limited resources.

Should they spend more on high-performance windows or add extra insulation? Is adding solar panels worth the cost, or would those funds be better invested in features that reduce heat loss? These decisions encourage students to weigh priorities and consider both cost and long-term value.

This makes the activity feel real. Students quickly see that designing for energy efficiency often involves balancing needs, costs, and performance.

BUILDING PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS

As students develop their designs, they test ideas, compare options, and explain the reasoning behind their choices. The challenge encourages them to ask practical questions about what works best in Manitoba’s climate and why.

Along the way, they strengthen their critical thinking skills and begin to understand how thoughtful design can reduce wasted energy.

The workshop also helps students recognize that energy efficiency can begin long before a light switch is turned on. It can be built into the way homes are planned from the start.

BRING THE CHALLENGE TO YOUR CLASSROOM

Generation E offers the Energy-Efficient Design Challenge as a free workshop for Manitoba schools. If you’re looking for an engaging way to introduce energy literacy, design thinking, and real-world decision making, this workshop is a great place to start. Book your workshop today!