Average Daily Usage: 48.8 kWh
CO₂ produced per kWh:
Coal- 781.04
Natural Gas- 378.4
SO₂ produced per kWh:
Coal- 4.83
Natural Gas- n/a
Gas appliances:
Dryer
Stove
Heat
The gas bill does not indicate the amount of gas consumed, it only gives the cost of our payment, which is $142.55
Home details:
1. Insulation type- Fiberglass
2. Shade- back of house surrounded by trees
3. Roof- covered with black shingles which absorb the heat
4. Attic air circulation- one vent leading to outside in each attic
5. Door and window fit- somewhat loosely fit because air sometimes comes in
6. Outer walls- white; they reflect the light
Coal- 781.04
Natural Gas- 378.4
SO₂ produced per kWh:
Coal- 4.83
Natural Gas- n/a
Gas appliances:
Dryer
Stove
Heat
The gas bill does not indicate the amount of gas consumed, it only gives the cost of our payment, which is $142.55
Home details:
1. Insulation type- Fiberglass
2. Shade- back of house surrounded by trees
3. Roof- covered with black shingles which absorb the heat
4. Attic air circulation- one vent leading to outside in each attic
5. Door and window fit- somewhat loosely fit because air sometimes comes in
6. Outer walls- white; they reflect the light
This project has helped me realize how much energy usage that certain tasks take, and how to conserve energy. I saw that whenever we did a lot of laundry, or had the oven on all day for baking, the energy usage was higher. Some ideas to conserve energy could be to only keep the oven on while baking, and then turn it off when not instead of leaving it on all day. Also, my family should try to fit more laundry into one load to that we don’t have to do as many loads in a day. Some other smaller suggestions are to turn off lights when not in use. I know that both my dad and I are bad about that, and we should try to improve. Using light from the sun during the day is also a good idea, instead of using the electricity light. None of these changes have an economic disadvantage with them, but an example of a change that costs more money would switching out an electric stove for a gas stove. Buying a stove expensive, but it would save money in the long run. Not only is using electricity when it’s not needed a waste of money, but it’s bad for the environment. The electricity comes from the power plant where it’s generated. The more electricity that is used, the more the power plant has to generate. The more the power plant generates, the more carbon dioxide and other chemicals go into the atmosphere.
I am not surprised by my findings. I know that some of our appliances are gas powered, so it doesn’t take as much electrical energy. Also, I am aware of our appliance use and so I knew that on the days we had the washing machine going or the oven on, it would be higher. This lab helps show how energy efficiency related to carbon dioxide, and the amount of kilowatt hours used. It gives students a relative idea about how energy is used, and how they can save energy to save cost. On Progress Energy’s website, I found a large list of actions that can be done to save electrical energy. A few of them include hanging clothes to dry instead of using the dryer, cleaning the dryer lint filter, wash clothes in cold water, and get an insulation wrap for your water heater. Not only do these things save energy and help the environment, but they save money as well.
Citation:
"100 Ways to Save Energy at Home." 100 Ways to Save Energy at Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. <https://www.progress-energy.com/carolinas/home/save-energy-money/energy-saving-tips-calculators/100-tips.page>.
I am not surprised by my findings. I know that some of our appliances are gas powered, so it doesn’t take as much electrical energy. Also, I am aware of our appliance use and so I knew that on the days we had the washing machine going or the oven on, it would be higher. This lab helps show how energy efficiency related to carbon dioxide, and the amount of kilowatt hours used. It gives students a relative idea about how energy is used, and how they can save energy to save cost. On Progress Energy’s website, I found a large list of actions that can be done to save electrical energy. A few of them include hanging clothes to dry instead of using the dryer, cleaning the dryer lint filter, wash clothes in cold water, and get an insulation wrap for your water heater. Not only do these things save energy and help the environment, but they save money as well.
Citation:
"100 Ways to Save Energy at Home." 100 Ways to Save Energy at Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. <https://www.progress-energy.com/carolinas/home/save-energy-money/energy-saving-tips-calculators/100-tips.page>.