The use of energy -- especially electrical energy -- has become ubiquitous, saving us crucial time in our fast-paced society. Air-conditioning machines, washer and dryers, and computers have made life easier for many people; however, like all machines, they require energy to do work. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 67% of the electricity generated in the United States in 2013 was derived from fossil fuels: coal, natural gas, and petroleum, 39% of which was derived from coal. The burning of these fossil fuels emits a pernicious amount of greenhouse gases, particulate matter, and heavy metals into the atmosphere, expediting global warming and polluting the environment. By understanding and making slight changes to our energy consumption habits, not only can we save money on our energy bills, but we can also decelerate the harmful, environmental effects of the burning of fossil fuels for energy consumption.
A. Data and Descriptions:
Table 1: Meter Readings, Observations and Usage Notes for the period of 10/10 – 10/19
Relevant Information
- Usual Air Conditioning Settings: Thermostat Setting: 72°F
- Usual Water Heater Settings: Medium Setting (100°F)
- Average Amount of Cooking Done: 2 times a week
- Type of Lights Used: EcoSmart Compact Fluorescent Lights (14 W)
- Average Amount of Laundry Done: 2 times a week (Sundays and Thursdays)
Table 2: The Cost of Electricity
CO2 and SO2 Emissions from Home
Duke Energy's Fuel Mix
- 56.8% - Nuclear
- 38.1% - Coal
- 4% - Natural Gas
- 1% - Hydropower
- 0.1% Renewables
According to Duke Energy Corporation
Calculated Emissions:
Total Amount of Energy Used per Month (Sep 3 - Oct 2): 513 kWh
Coal
- Total Number of kWh Used per Month from Coal: (.381)(513) = 195.45 kWh
- Total Amount of CO2 Emitted per Month from Coal: (0.97)(195.45) = 189.6 kg CO2
- Total Amount of SO2 Emitted per Month from Coal: (0.006)(195.45) = 1.2 kg SO2
Natural Gas
- Total Number of kWh Used per Month from Natural Gas: (.04)(513) = 20.5 kWh
- Total Amount of CO2 Emitted per Month from Natural Gas: (0.47)(20.5) = 9.6 kg CO2
- Total Amount of SO2 Emitted per Month from Natural Gas: None
Picture and Description of Home
a. Insulation can be found in the attic, in the crawl space, and in between the walls. The insulation is made up of R-39 fiber glass that is in good condition.
b. No shade is provided by trees or shrubs in the front and side of the house. A bit of shade is provided by trees in the back of the house.
c. The roof is made up of black, asphalt shingles that are in good condition; therefore, they absorb heat quickly.
d. The attic has good air circulation; it has some vents, but other than that, it has no air conditioning.
e. The doors are very tight, therefore limiting the amount of air that escapes. The windows, however, are not very tight, and allow air to escape.
f. The outer walls of my house consist mainly of red bricks; therefore, they absorb and release heat slowly.
g. The house's air conditioning has been broken for several months. During the summer, the ceiling fans are used to cool off.
b. No shade is provided by trees or shrubs in the front and side of the house. A bit of shade is provided by trees in the back of the house.
c. The roof is made up of black, asphalt shingles that are in good condition; therefore, they absorb heat quickly.
d. The attic has good air circulation; it has some vents, but other than that, it has no air conditioning.
e. The doors are very tight, therefore limiting the amount of air that escapes. The windows, however, are not very tight, and allow air to escape.
f. The outer walls of my house consist mainly of red bricks; therefore, they absorb and release heat slowly.
g. The house's air conditioning has been broken for several months. During the summer, the ceiling fans are used to cool off.
Discussion:
This project has enlightened me to both the economic and ecological impacts of my family's and my energy consumption patterns. According to the daily meter readings for the ten-day interval, the average, daily electricity usage by my household is about 17.7 kWh, which averages to about $5.58 per day and $0.32 per kWh. In addition, the monthly amount of carbon dioxide emitted from the burning of coal alone (one of the main constituents of Duke Energy's energy mix) is 189.6 kg, while the monthly amount of sulfur dioxide emitted from the burning of coal is 1.2 kg. My family's and my energy consumption patterns - leaving the ceiling fan on for the entire day and using the washer and dryer to clean my sister's clothes every other weekend - have led to high energy bills and large amounts of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide being released into the atmosphere, which can expedite the rate of global warming, and cause acid rain.
Changes in my family's and my energy consumption patterns must be implemented in order to reduce the cost of electricity and the amount of harmful chemicals being released into the atmosphere. Firstly, we could turn off any lights or ceiling fans when not in use: Their energy consumption may seem negligible compared to that of other major appliances, such as the washer and dryer; however, the data from this project has shown that simply forgetting to turn off a ceiling fan for one day can waste up to 19 kWh, which significantly increases the cost of energy and the amount of pollution produced. Secondly, the washer and dryer seemed to consume a lot of electricity: According to the data, on the days when the washer and dryer were used, the daily electricity consumption was high. One of the most effective ways in reducing the amount of energy consumed when washing clothes is using cold water instead of warm water: According to the article "Efficiency Laundry: Washing Clothes in Cold Water to Save Energy", about 90% of the energy consumed by a washing machine is used to heat the water. A combination of cold water and cold water detergents can lead to a significant diminution in the amount of energy consumed, reducing not only the cost of washing clothes, but also the amount of harmful chemicals released into the atmosphere. Finally, it may be a good idea for my family to purchase draft stoppers to prevent heating and cooling loss from the windows. Windows that are not tightly shut cause heating and cooling loss, which lead to greater energy consumption and higher energy bills; therefore, by draft stoppers will bring both economic and ecological benefits (Zdrazil, Travis). In order to see these positive changes, my family and I must take action now; we must change our energy consumption habits in order to reduce electricity costs and negative impacts on the environment.
Changes in my family's and my energy consumption patterns must be implemented in order to reduce the cost of electricity and the amount of harmful chemicals being released into the atmosphere. Firstly, we could turn off any lights or ceiling fans when not in use: Their energy consumption may seem negligible compared to that of other major appliances, such as the washer and dryer; however, the data from this project has shown that simply forgetting to turn off a ceiling fan for one day can waste up to 19 kWh, which significantly increases the cost of energy and the amount of pollution produced. Secondly, the washer and dryer seemed to consume a lot of electricity: According to the data, on the days when the washer and dryer were used, the daily electricity consumption was high. One of the most effective ways in reducing the amount of energy consumed when washing clothes is using cold water instead of warm water: According to the article "Efficiency Laundry: Washing Clothes in Cold Water to Save Energy", about 90% of the energy consumed by a washing machine is used to heat the water. A combination of cold water and cold water detergents can lead to a significant diminution in the amount of energy consumed, reducing not only the cost of washing clothes, but also the amount of harmful chemicals released into the atmosphere. Finally, it may be a good idea for my family to purchase draft stoppers to prevent heating and cooling loss from the windows. Windows that are not tightly shut cause heating and cooling loss, which lead to greater energy consumption and higher energy bills; therefore, by draft stoppers will bring both economic and ecological benefits (Zdrazil, Travis). In order to see these positive changes, my family and I must take action now; we must change our energy consumption habits in order to reduce electricity costs and negative impacts on the environment.
Conclusion:
I am astonished by my findings from this project: Before this project, I was not cognizant of the economic and ecological impacts of my energy consumption habits. Before recording my home's daily meter readings for the duration of ten days, I was unaware that my daily habits - formerly presumed to be negligible - had such a large, cumulative impact on the total daily energy consumption. Simply remembering to turn off the ceiling fan or light, or using cold water instead of warm water when washing clothes can save hundreds of kilowatt hours every year. According to "When to Turn Off Your Lights", artificial lighting (light bulbs) are responsible for approximately 15% of a home's total electricity use. In addition, according to "Efficiency Laundry: Washing Clothes in Cold Water to Save Energy", about 90% of the energy consumed by a washing machine is used to heat the water, and using cold water instead of warm water to wash clothes eliminates about 1,600 pounds (725.7 kg) of carbon dioxide emissions annually. These small changes may seem insignificant, but they actually have a very large impact, bot economically and ecologically.
This project relates to the course by demonstrating the interdisciplinary nature of the course. This project incorporates two major units of study: Energy and Pollution. Through this project, it was made clear that there is a direct relationship between the amount of energy consumed by a household and the amount of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by that same household. Within a one month period, my family and I emit about 189.6 kg of carbon dioxide and 1.2 kg of sulfur dioxide from the burning of coal alone. Although coal is cheap, readily available, and has a high net energy yield, when burned, it releases carbon dioxide, which expedites the rate of global warming, and sulfur dioxide, which leads to acid rain. This demonstrates that many nonrenewable energy sources, such as coal and petroleum, have negative impacts on the environment; therefore, it is important that we develop new, renewable energy sources.
According to my parents, who pay the electricity bills in the household, the data from this project are accurate: The average energy consumption and cost of electricity per day are fairly reasonable. However, in order to ensure even more accurate results, it may have been helpful to record the meter readings at the same, exact hour of the day. During the ten day period, I was unable to record the meter readings at the same, exact time of the day due to extracurricular activities; sometimes the readings differed by two or three hours. This disparity may have skewed the daily electricity consumption by a couple kilowatt hours; however, this skew in the data was negligible, since the results of the project were accurate. This appears to be the only factor that may have skewed the data of the project.
This project relates to the course by demonstrating the interdisciplinary nature of the course. This project incorporates two major units of study: Energy and Pollution. Through this project, it was made clear that there is a direct relationship between the amount of energy consumed by a household and the amount of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by that same household. Within a one month period, my family and I emit about 189.6 kg of carbon dioxide and 1.2 kg of sulfur dioxide from the burning of coal alone. Although coal is cheap, readily available, and has a high net energy yield, when burned, it releases carbon dioxide, which expedites the rate of global warming, and sulfur dioxide, which leads to acid rain. This demonstrates that many nonrenewable energy sources, such as coal and petroleum, have negative impacts on the environment; therefore, it is important that we develop new, renewable energy sources.
According to my parents, who pay the electricity bills in the household, the data from this project are accurate: The average energy consumption and cost of electricity per day are fairly reasonable. However, in order to ensure even more accurate results, it may have been helpful to record the meter readings at the same, exact hour of the day. During the ten day period, I was unable to record the meter readings at the same, exact time of the day due to extracurricular activities; sometimes the readings differed by two or three hours. This disparity may have skewed the daily electricity consumption by a couple kilowatt hours; however, this skew in the data was negligible, since the results of the project were accurate. This appears to be the only factor that may have skewed the data of the project.
Citations:
"Efficient Laundry: Wash Clothes in Cold Water to Save Energy." Alliance to Save Energy, 05 Oct. 2011. Web. 19 Oct. 2014. <https://www.ase.org/resources/efficient-laundry-wash-clothes-cold-water-save-energy>.
"Our Energy Mix." Duke Energy. Duke Energy Corporation, 2014. Web. 18 Oct. 2014. <http://www.duke-energy.com/north-carolina/nc-rate-case/our-energy-mix.asp>.
"U.S. Electricity Generation." U.S. Energy Information Administration, 16 June 2014. Web. 21 Oct. 2014. <http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=427&t=3>.
"When to Turn Off Your Lights." Energy.gov. U.S. Department of Energy, 30 Aug. 2012. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. <http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/when-turn-your-lights>.
Zdrazil, Travis. "Energy Saving Draft Stoppers." Energy Saving Draft Stoppers. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2014. <http://movingaheadcommunications.com/articles/draft-stoppers/>.
"Our Energy Mix." Duke Energy. Duke Energy Corporation, 2014. Web. 18 Oct. 2014. <http://www.duke-energy.com/north-carolina/nc-rate-case/our-energy-mix.asp>.
"U.S. Electricity Generation." U.S. Energy Information Administration, 16 June 2014. Web. 21 Oct. 2014. <http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=427&t=3>.
"When to Turn Off Your Lights." Energy.gov. U.S. Department of Energy, 30 Aug. 2012. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. <http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/when-turn-your-lights>.
Zdrazil, Travis. "Energy Saving Draft Stoppers." Energy Saving Draft Stoppers. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2014. <http://movingaheadcommunications.com/articles/draft-stoppers/>.