Energy Audit Lab

 

The fuel of choice for electricity production in the United States is coal.  Nearly two-thirds of the SO2 emitted into the atmosphere is a result of burning coal in electrical power plants. Roughly 80 percent of the incidence of acid rain in our atmosphere is attributed to these emissions. Approximately 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.  The only way to reduce the CO2 emissions associated with the combustion of fossil fuels is to reduce consumption.

 

Table 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The company that distributes electrical power to my home is Progress energy. It is believed that they obtain their energy from coal.

 

 The average kwh used per month is 2,149.

CO2 emitted (kg/kWh): .97x2149=2084.53kg

SO2 emitted (kg/kWh): .006x2149=12.894kg

 

Dwelling Description

• The amount, location and quality (type and R-value) of insulation

My house is insulated with fiberglass in the attic. The insulation covers all the attic walls and has an R value of 35

• The amount of shade provided by trees or shrubs

There is one small tree outdside my house and other small trees on the lawn, but none of the trees provide any shade to my house. 

• The condition, composition, and color of the roof

My family just got the roof redone. It is shaped like the top of a triangle and it is dark grey, which absorbs heat.

• The air circulation in the attic

The attic is small and it is usally very hot up there. There is not much circulation simply because it is so small.

• The tightness of the fit for doors and windows

My windows are always closed even in the summer months, they fit very well and no air every comes through. The same goes for my front door; it has a tight fit and no air ever comes through.

• The color of outer walls (does it absorb or reflect heat?)

My house is yellow and thr light color reflects heat instead of absorbing it. 

 

Discussion

I beleive it is important that my family cuts down on its power usage. Often my family leaves the desktop on at all times even when there is no one using it. This is done mostly because the desktop has a long start up time so it seems easier to leave it on, but we are wasting so much energy. Also my father tends to leave the TV on at all times, even when he is not watching it. This waste electricy too. My family could start handwashing plates more instead of using the dishwasher. We can also try to hang our clothes to dry instead of using the dryer, which uses so much energy. My family should also use LED light bulbs to try to conserve energy. To reduce our CO2 and SO2 emissions, my family should invest in a gas stove. I would say that my family should invest in solar pannels, but that would not be an economicly good idea because solar pannels are so expensive. So replacing our incadescent lightbulbs with LED with be the best idea to conserve energy. Also my family should wear jackets and sweaters in the house instead of putting the heater on all the time.

 

Conclusion 

I am not suprised by my findings. I know my family could be more energy conservative and this lab futher proved my thoughts. We are used to hot nigerian weather which would explain why the heater is on some times when it shouldn't be. In nigeria there is not always power so I think we take advange of the fact that there is always power here. Errors that could have been made are that certain calculations made were wrong, and certain observations made were incorrect also. This lab is relevant to the course because it provides us a real life example of what we are learning in class. It aslo gives us a way to apply what we learn in class in real life.

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Citation

Light, Carolina Power &. Residential Service [txt] (n.d.): n. pag. Web.

"Login." Login. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.