This curriculum guide on consumer education, covering one of the five content areas of the Energy and Family Curriculum Guide, has been designed to provide learning experiences and identify resources that can be used to develop units of study related to energy usage and conservation. The guide is intended for use in comprehensive courses of home economics as well as specialized courses of the home economics subject matter content areas, especially in the state of Texas. The guide contains two units covering the true value of energy and budgeting energy use (lifestyle needs, cost of operating appliances, reading the meter, budgeting utility bills, selection and use of energy-efficient equipment, and energy for transportation). For each major concept, the guide provides a competency statement, terminal performance objectives, as well as concepts and generalizations linked to specific learning experiences and resources. The guide contains three appendixes. Appendix A contains a bibliography of books, pamphlets, multimedia materials, and other teaching aids. Appendix B contains prepared information sheets, games, bulletin board ideas, check sheets, evaluation forms, and transparency masters. Appendix C is a collection of background information that may be helpful to the teacher in using the learning experiences. A glossary completes the curriculum guide. (KC)