PERSONAL ENERGY AUDIT



PERSONAL ENERGY AUDIT

Most of the principles set forth in this environmental science course are illustrated in all aspects of life’s activities, from the personal to the planetary level. One area of critical importance is energy consumption, particularly electrical energy consumption. The fuel of choice for electrical production in the United States is coal. About two-thirds of the SO2 emitted is a result of burning coal in electrical power plants. The use of scrubbers can effectively reduce the amount of SO2 emitted, but the majority of power plants in the US have not been equipped with scrubbers. The majority of acid rain, about 80% is attributed to these emissions. Global warming is also impacted by the combustion of fossil fuels to produce electricity. About one-third of CO2 emissions are due to the production of electricity. Coal produces more CO2 per energy unit than either oil or natural gas due to its carbon content. Approximately .77 kg of CO2 are emitted per kW produced (This value will vary depending on the actual carbon content of the coal and the efficiency of the power plant.) There are no pollution control devices to convert carbon dioxide into an environmentally harmless substance. The only way to reduce the CO2 emissions associated with the combustion of fossil fuels is to reduce consumption.

All of us have a stake in all levels of energy use and production, but it is certainly easier to assess our impact when examining personal energy habits and attitudes. In this assignment you will examine your personal energy habits, with regard to electrical consumption, and the impacts those habits have on the environment. Having a thorough understanding of the dynamics and hookups of your own system will help lead to an easy transition in understanding the energy dynamics at a broader level (system, global, etc.). Positive changes that can effectively be made at an individual level can be amplified at the national level.

How much does it cost to watch television for an hour? How much energy does it take to cook a meal, heat a house, or light a lamp? What does that energy cost? Does it take more energy to toast bread or to boil water? What are the major and minor energy users in your home? How much does it cost to use the various appliances per hour, day, or year? Are they worth that amount? To answer these questions, we need to understand how we are charged for electricity.

When utility companies bill us for the electricity we use, they charge us according to how many kilowatt hours we have used. A watt is a unit used to indicate how much electrical power has been used. A kilowatt equals 1,000 watts. An appliance’s “wattage” indicates the number of watts an appliance uses in an hour.

If 1,000 watts (1 kilowatt) of power is used for 1 hour, that is a kilowatt-hour (kWH). Thus, if an electrical appliance that uses 1,000 watts of power is used for 1 hour, 1 kilowatt-hour of power has been used. Ten 100-watt light bulbs left on for 1 hour would also equal 1 kilowatt-hour of power, as would one 100-watt light bulb left on for 10 hours.

A heater that uses 1,500 watts of power per hour uses 1.5 kW of power per hour. If it were used for 2 hours, 3 kWh of power would be used. Since 200 watts equals 0.2 kW, a 200 watt television used for 1 hour would use 0.2 kW of power.

Generally, converting electrical energy to heat energy takes a lot of electricity to obtain usable amounts of heat. Thus, appliances that are used to generate heat, such as stoves, water heaters, space (air) heaters, etc., use a lot of electricity. Some other electricity users such as radios and stereos use relatively little electricity in a given period of time. Even they, though, can add a lot to electricity bills when they are used a lot.

By knowing how much electricity costs per kilowatt-hour, we can get an idea of how much it would cost to operate an appliance for a period of time.

In this activity, you will determine how much power various appliances around your home use. Then you will calculate how much each costs you to use per month.

Procedures

1. Reading/Recording Electrical Consumption

Smart Meter :

Most homes in Danville now have a Smart Meter that was installed by PG&E. All of the information you need for this assignment is on their website.

You will need to get your parents log in username and password. Click on “My Useage” and this will take you to the page with the information on how much energy you use. On the left side go to “electricity” and drop down the menu next to it to “by bill”. This will take you to a page that will show you how much energy your family uses on a monthly bases. Move your cursor on each of the nodes for the last 7 days and record that under “Daily Usage” in a table how many kWh that you have used each day. Note the usual settings for the AC unit and hot water heater, amount of cooking, type of lights, clothes washing, etc. Also, click on the “Weather “ icon below the graph for each day, and record the weather that may affect heating or cooling. Weather notes should include cloud cover and high temperature readings for that day. Report local temperature readings in degrees celcius. The data table for these notes may look like:

Table 1: Meter readings, observations and usage notes for the period of April 5-12, 2013

Date Daily Usage Weather Obs. Appliance Usage

4/5 30 sunny, 30oC ac setting 24oC

4/6 32 partly cloudy, 32oC laundry day

Traditional Electric Meter:

Your family may have an older meter that has dials on it. To understand how to read the meter, just look on google for information on how to read the meter. Read the electric meter at the same time everyday for a 7 day period and record the value. If you do not have access to your electric meter, calculate an average daily value based on your utility bill. Make daily notes on the patterns of electrical use in your household, particularly the use of large appliances. Note the usual settings for the AC unit and hot water heater, amount of cooking, type of lights, clothes washing, etc. Also, record notes on the weather that may affect heating or cooling. Weather notes should include cloud cover and high and low temperature readings for that day. Report local temperature readings and thermostat settings in degrees celcius.

Table 1: Meter readings, observations and usage notes for the period of April 5-12, 2013

Date Meter Reading Daily Usage Weather Obs. Appliance Usage

4/5 92178 -- sunny, 30oC ac setting 24oC

4/6 92208 30 partly cloudy, 32oC laundry day

2. Calculating Monthly Consumption (kWh) and Cost for Electrical Appliances

These calculations should be completed for the following appliances: air conditioner, hot water heater, refrigerator, TV, washer/dryer, stereo, computer, lighting (incandescent and fluorescent separately), and any other electrical appliance that may affect your consumption.

1. In order to calculate the electrical consumption per month of each item, use one of the following methods.

a. Use the internet and search for the wattage for your appliance by name. If there is a range of wattage, use a midrange number.

b. The wattage can also be calculated by multiplying the Amperage (I) rating times the Voltage (v), usually 110 v or 220 v. P=VI (P = power measured in watts)

2. The following steps should be taken in order to calculate the cost of running an appliance for one month. The data table supplied to you has these already included into the equations.

a. The second column - the wattage you obtain on the internet or from the bulb itself

b. The third column - record the number of hours on average per day you use the applicance

c. The forth column - multiply the Wattage (column 2) by the hours per day (column 3) that the appliance is used.

d. The fifth column - multiply the value in column 4 by 30 (number of days in a month)

e. The sixth column - divide the value (column 5) by 1000 to get kWh.

f. The seventh column - multiply the value in column 6 by the cost of electricity. (You can calculate this value from an electric bill. The table currently has the cost from the teachers bill)

3. In order to determine the amount of CO2 released, multiply the number of KWh by 0.77 kg/kWh. If a coal burning power plant is the main source for your electricity, the amount of SO2 emitted can be

approximated by multiplying the number of kWh by 0.32 kg/kWh. (already included into the data table supplied to you).

4. Arrange the calculations for the various appliances in a table. The following headings should be included in the table: appliance, wattage, hours/day, hours/month, kWh/month, CO2/month, SO2/month, cost / month Indicate the method used for determining the wattage of the appliance. Calculate the total kWh/month and the total cost. The equations to calculate this is already in your data table. Compare this to a current electricity bill. If it is off by more than 30%, recalculate your usage.

5. If available, compare a utility bill from August (heavy ac usage) with one for March or April (minimal ac or heater usage). Estimate the amount of the August bill due to ac use.

THE REPORT

A. Data and descriptions

1. Table 1 – meter readings with usage notes and usage estimate for a 7 day period.

2. Table 2 – Appliance wattage and estimated usage (see #4 above). Also note what method you used to determine the wattage. (example table provided by Ms. Egan)

3. Your household’s cost/KwH, and the number of people living in your home.

B. Discussion – to be typed

Analyze what you have learned in this project and make some detailed suggestions about how you and the members of your household can conserve energy by changing patterns of consumption. Examine the economics and pollution impacts of these changes. In some cases, changes may be well intended but may carry an economic disadvantage (i.e. may not be cost effective at this time) or, you may be thwarted in attempts to make certain alterations in your lifestyle. The focus of this discussion should be on your own dwelling not on global, national or theoretical problems.

C. Discuss your findings with your parent/guardian and have them sign the end of your discussion.

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