Iain Grigsby

EGEE 101H, Homework #3

March 10, 2014
Due on Tuesday, March 25.
1. Calculate your personal or your familys greenhouse gas emissions using the on-line Carbon
Footprint Calculator at http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/ind-calculator.html
Summarize the results from the following sections using the calculator.

Section 1: Estimate your current total household emissions. 20 pts
-My household uses approimately !"#$$1 l%s of C&
'
annually# or '(#$)" pounds of C&
'
per
household mem%ers *(+. ,t should %e noted that the energy %ill used to calculate these values has
monthly values averaged out over the year# so that my parents are not hit with a huge %ills during
months with high energy re-uirements. .lso# my home is approimately )" years old# and thus ,m
willing to %et that the insulation is less than stellar.
Section 2: Explore actions you can take to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions, energy use,
and waste disposal costs. 20 pts
, thin/ its safe to say that my father could cut down on the mileage he travels each wee/. 0e is
/nown to ta/e multiple trips out per day that could easily %e s-ueezed in to one. My parents already
/eep the house very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer# so , dou%t there is much to %e
gained there. 1e are good a%out turning off lights and computers. 1ashing clothes in cold water
and drying them on a clothesline are definitely via%le options# which com%ined could save over 2""
l%s of C&
'
a year. , /now that there are certainly older %ul%s which could %e replaced with newer
energy star lights# though , do not /now the eact amount. 3etter insulated windows should also %e
pursued# as this could save nearly (""" l%s of C&
'
per year. 1e should definitely start recycling.
Section 3: See how much you can save in dollars and emissions! "y taking the actions you
chose in Section 2. 20 pts
, thin/ the cost savings are a little misleading in the section# as they imply that there is zero upfront
cost to ma/e the change. 4or instance the dollar savings per year for upgrading to a higher mileage
car would ta/e literally decades to pay itself off. ,t seems that the most cost effective means of
reducing emissions# %ased on the calculated values# would %e to reduce mileage driven in the car
annually# ma/e great improvements to our homes insulation through the use of higher -uality
windows and other means# and finally to replace all of our light %ul%s.

'. 5sing the power profiler at http://oaspu%.epa.gov/powpro/ept6pac/.charts
#ompare the $uel mix and air emissions rates o$ the electricity in your hometown to the
national average. 20 pts
7he first that stri/es me is that my region uses more nuclear power than the national average.
7his is most li/ely due to the fact that we are in a very industrialized part of the country. ,t
appears we use less gas than the national average# which is interesting since my home and most
of my friends home are heated %y it. .ll in all# we lag %ehind in non-hydro renewa%les as well as
hydro# which are the only two means which do not involve inefficient heat engines.
%etermine the air emissions impacts o$ electricity use in your $amily home. 20 pts
8er year# my home uses 112"9 /1h or 11.2"9 M1h of electricity. 7his e-uates to 1".$$ l%s of
:itrogen &ides# '$.(!;9 pounds of Sulfur <ioide# and 112').' l%s of Car%on <ioide.