Personal Energy Audit Lab
Collaborators- None
Abstract- An observational experiment was conducted to see how daily life in the household can affect the environment through energy usage. The daily kilowatt-hour usage was recorded over a course of ten days to see the average energy usage. Along with that, notes were taken on activities that would affect the energy usage as well. After the ten days, the kilowatt-hour average daily use for this household was 13.3 KWH resulting in an average 10.24 kg of emitted CO2 daily. It was determined that there were several ways to save energy and lower emittions: Lower the thermostat, do laundry less often, insulate better, and use passive heating whenever possible.
Problem- How does daily life affect the environment and how can one prevent higher energy usage and therefore prevent more pollution.
Materials- -Kilowatt-hour gauge
-Notebook for recording data
Methods- 1. On day 1, take your KWH amount.
2. For the next 10 days, take the KWH amount and take note of the differences as well as abnormalities that could have caused a change in energy consumption.
3. After recording the data, determine ways that energy could have been conserved.
Data-
Date Time Energy usage Irregular activities
10/9- 5:00 (PM) 78546 KWH
10/10- 5:15 78569 KWH (+23) Several loads of laundry.
10/11- 5:15 78582 KWH (+13)
10/12- 5:00 78596 KWH (+14) Kids with their TV's on Saturdays...
10/13- 5:00 78609 KWH (+13)
10/14- 4:50 78622 KWH (+13)
10/15- 5:00 78638 KWH (+16) Large dinner prepared.
10/16- 5:00 78652 KWH (+13)
10/17- 6:00 78667 KWH (+16) Small laundry day.
10/18- 5:15 78679 KWH (+12)
Average = 13.3 KWH per day
Data Analysis- On average, the KWH per day went up by about 13.3 KWH which translates to about 10.24 Kg of CO2. The electricity provider for the house is Duke Energy which primarily uses coal burning for energy, which means the CO2 emittions would be higher than some other sources. There were days where the KWH usage shot up. On 10/10 and 10/17, the washing machine was running loads of laundry and on 10/15, energy was used to cook a rather large dinner. Over all, the energy usage is rather constant.
Other factors that could have played into the energy efficiency can be the fact that the house is fairly well insulated in the walls and attic so temperatures do not change as quickly, keeping the air conditioning from turning on too often. Along with that, the tiles on the roof are black, which absorb heat from the sun, which allows for a form of passive solar heating. To add on to passive solar heating, there are windows in nearly every room, which could also provide heat and affect the energy usage. Another factor can be the lifestyle of the house. Usually, when an electrical device is not being used, it remains off until it is needed, putting the energy usage to a minimum.
Conclusion- The average amount of daily energy usage was 13.3 KWH which is half decent, however there were areas for improvement. It is possible to lower the energy usage by: insulating the house better, avoid frequent laundry loads, turn off electrical items when not being used, etc. Lowering the usage of the electrical items ultimately results in less CO2 emittions and less air pollution, so using electricity more efficiently will be a win-win for the people and environment.
Questions-
1. Areas where reduced consumption will result in monetary savings (for you).
Turning off electrical devices, do laundry in larger and less frequent loads, lowering the thermostat, keeping the house insulated, and using passive solar heating whenever possible can help lower electric bills.
2. Changes on both a personal level and a household level that will be reflected in an improvement to a larger, shared system.
Using the computer and television less can help lower energy usage for the household, and in turn lower energy usage, which results in less coal being burned and less CO2 being released into the atmosphere.
Abstract- An observational experiment was conducted to see how daily life in the household can affect the environment through energy usage. The daily kilowatt-hour usage was recorded over a course of ten days to see the average energy usage. Along with that, notes were taken on activities that would affect the energy usage as well. After the ten days, the kilowatt-hour average daily use for this household was 13.3 KWH resulting in an average 10.24 kg of emitted CO2 daily. It was determined that there were several ways to save energy and lower emittions: Lower the thermostat, do laundry less often, insulate better, and use passive heating whenever possible.
Problem- How does daily life affect the environment and how can one prevent higher energy usage and therefore prevent more pollution.
Materials- -Kilowatt-hour gauge
-Notebook for recording data
Methods- 1. On day 1, take your KWH amount.
2. For the next 10 days, take the KWH amount and take note of the differences as well as abnormalities that could have caused a change in energy consumption.
3. After recording the data, determine ways that energy could have been conserved.
Data-
Date Time Energy usage Irregular activities
10/9- 5:00 (PM) 78546 KWH
10/10- 5:15 78569 KWH (+23) Several loads of laundry.
10/11- 5:15 78582 KWH (+13)
10/12- 5:00 78596 KWH (+14) Kids with their TV's on Saturdays...
10/13- 5:00 78609 KWH (+13)
10/14- 4:50 78622 KWH (+13)
10/15- 5:00 78638 KWH (+16) Large dinner prepared.
10/16- 5:00 78652 KWH (+13)
10/17- 6:00 78667 KWH (+16) Small laundry day.
10/18- 5:15 78679 KWH (+12)
Average = 13.3 KWH per day
Data Analysis- On average, the KWH per day went up by about 13.3 KWH which translates to about 10.24 Kg of CO2. The electricity provider for the house is Duke Energy which primarily uses coal burning for energy, which means the CO2 emittions would be higher than some other sources. There were days where the KWH usage shot up. On 10/10 and 10/17, the washing machine was running loads of laundry and on 10/15, energy was used to cook a rather large dinner. Over all, the energy usage is rather constant.
Other factors that could have played into the energy efficiency can be the fact that the house is fairly well insulated in the walls and attic so temperatures do not change as quickly, keeping the air conditioning from turning on too often. Along with that, the tiles on the roof are black, which absorb heat from the sun, which allows for a form of passive solar heating. To add on to passive solar heating, there are windows in nearly every room, which could also provide heat and affect the energy usage. Another factor can be the lifestyle of the house. Usually, when an electrical device is not being used, it remains off until it is needed, putting the energy usage to a minimum.
Conclusion- The average amount of daily energy usage was 13.3 KWH which is half decent, however there were areas for improvement. It is possible to lower the energy usage by: insulating the house better, avoid frequent laundry loads, turn off electrical items when not being used, etc. Lowering the usage of the electrical items ultimately results in less CO2 emittions and less air pollution, so using electricity more efficiently will be a win-win for the people and environment.
Questions-
1. Areas where reduced consumption will result in monetary savings (for you).
Turning off electrical devices, do laundry in larger and less frequent loads, lowering the thermostat, keeping the house insulated, and using passive solar heating whenever possible can help lower electric bills.
2. Changes on both a personal level and a household level that will be reflected in an improvement to a larger, shared system.
Using the computer and television less can help lower energy usage for the household, and in turn lower energy usage, which results in less coal being burned and less CO2 being released into the atmosphere.