Energy Audit Lab
Data And Descriptions
In the ten days observed:
- Cooking was done about 4 times using the stove.
- The air conditioning was set to 70 degrees Fahrenheit for both night and day.
- Water heater was set to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
Table 1: Meter Readings and Observations for the period of 2.27-3.8
Table 2: The Cost of Electricity
CO2 and SO2 Emitted
Compare a utility bill from a summer month with one for March or April. Estimate what amount of the summertime bill is due to air-conditioner use.
- July - $113
- March - $58
- The bill for the month of July was 113 dollars, 55 dollars more than the bill for the month of March. This extra money most likely came from the air conditioning use due to the outside temperature in the summer ranging between 80-100 degrees unlike the temperature in April which is comfortable enough to leave a window open and not use air conditioning or heating.
- Inspect and report on the following for your home:
In the attic, the R-value is 30 in the ceiling, 13 in the exterior walls and 19 in the floor and crawl space.
b. The amount of shade provided by trees and shrubs:
There is one tree in the front of the house but it does not produce much leaves and it is very thin, therefore, the front of the house does not receive any shade; however, the back is the exact opposite there are many trees and the back side of the house receives a lot of shade and it is generally a lot cooler than the front.
c. The condition, composition, and color of the roof:
I do not know what the composition of the roof is but it is black in color and it is in a good condition as far as we know. Because the roof is black it attracts more sun in the summer making the attic become really hot almost like a steam room.
d. The air circulation in the attic:
There is no air circulation in the attic. During the summer it is really hot in there and during the winter it is really cold. The attic is not connected to our air conditioning and heating. There are 3 windows, however, that open up and let fresh air in.
e. The tightness of the fir for doors and windows:
All of the windows, the front door, and the back door are very tight and do not let any air go through. We had a problem with the back door in the summer because it had about a quarter of a inch space at the bottom but it was fixed shortly after we have noticed.
f. The color of outer walls (does it absorb or reflect heat?):
The top half is white in color and the bottom half is brick. The white absorbs a little amount of heat, and the bottom absorbs a fair amount but it does not compare to how much heat is absorbed by the roof.
g. Any other features that may affect the dwelling's heat balance:
The front of the house is facing the South so all the rooms in the front are generally very hot compared to the ones in the back even in the winter time, whenever the sun is out. This could also affect the dwelling's heat balance.
I live in a 2 bedroom town house which is 3 stories high. The 3rd is just a large attic that does not have any air conditioning or heating.
Discussion
Above I created a graph that accurately portrays the usage of electricity during the ten days observed. There is an obvious peak at 24 kWh on March 2nd and that is because laundry was done that day so the washer and drier contributed a large portion to the energy amount used. We can conclude that certain appliances such as the washer and drier consume a lot of energy. This issue could easily be resolved by obtaining a more eco friendly washer and drier for our home. Another thing we could improve on is turning off all the lights when leaving a room and also turning off all appliances and unplugging chargers that are not being used. If we were to make these simple changes we could be saving a lot of energy and money. Coal is the number 1 fossil fuel that is responsible for Global Warming because it releases the biggest amount of CO2 but if we were to make those couple of changes then there would be less pollutants released into the air. We could also switch over to LED lights because they are more efficient even though expensive, however, they last a lot longer than regular light bulbs so in the end they become cost effective too.
Through this project I have learned about how much energy me and my mom consume daily and where our energy comes from. I found out that we get our energy from Duke Energy which burns coal. I do not necessarily think that the amount of energy we use is a lot compared to other families who have 5 or more people living in one house but there are always things we could improve on. Also, this labs data is not completely accurate because for the ten days I measured me and my mom were barely home so the numbers could have been higher if we were home more often during those days. Another possible error of this experiment is the time when I went outside to check the meter reading. Even though I planned to check it at the same time I was not always home at that time and that could have changed my results. Also, the weather was generally the same throughout the ten days and that could have made my results inaccurate as well. This experiment could be improved if we were to do it for a longer period of time and during different seasons.
Through this project I have learned about how much energy me and my mom consume daily and where our energy comes from. I found out that we get our energy from Duke Energy which burns coal. I do not necessarily think that the amount of energy we use is a lot compared to other families who have 5 or more people living in one house but there are always things we could improve on. Also, this labs data is not completely accurate because for the ten days I measured me and my mom were barely home so the numbers could have been higher if we were home more often during those days. Another possible error of this experiment is the time when I went outside to check the meter reading. Even though I planned to check it at the same time I was not always home at that time and that could have changed my results. Also, the weather was generally the same throughout the ten days and that could have made my results inaccurate as well. This experiment could be improved if we were to do it for a longer period of time and during different seasons.