Design Impact Solutions Practice Test

A school’s electricity use is highest during winter afternoons. The school wants to reduce its carbon footprint from electricity generation. Evidence: monthly utility data show a clear winter peak, especially on days when classrooms use space heaters. Criteria for success: (1) reduce electricity use during peak times, (2) maintain comfortable classroom temperatures, and (3) verify changes with data. Constraints: cannot replace the entire heating system this year and has $2,000. Multiple solutions are possible.

Proposed designs:

• Design 1: Seal drafts around doors/windows with weatherstripping, set a rule that space heaters can only be used if a classroom temperature sensor reads below a set point, and track electricity use weekly.
• Design 2: Install a large solar farm for the whole town on unused land next to the school.
• Design 3: Tell everyone to “use less electricity” without changing anything else and without tracking.

Which design best meets the criteria and constraints?

A neighborhood near a busy road reports that some days the air looks hazy. A simple sensor at the school shows particulate pollution (PM) is highest during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up. Criteria for success: (1) reduce students’ exposure during high-PM times, (2) keep student arrival/dismissal running smoothly, and (3) work within 2 months. Constraints: the school cannot change the road itself and has only $1,500. Multiple solutions are possible.

Two proposed designs:

• Plan 1: Create a “no-idling” zone with staff reminders, add signs, and move the student waiting area 50 meters farther from the road.
• Plan 2: Install a large air-filtering tower on the sidewalk next to the road to clean the neighborhood’s air.

Which plan best meets the criteria and constraints using the evidence about when PM is highest?