Anna Swenson

AP Environmental Science
Mrs. Norris
20 October 2014
Energy Audit lab
Over the course of the next ten days, students will measure their respective homes
energy usage to observe the relations of appliance use, weather conditions and how they affect
the amount of kWh used per day. A kilowatt hour is a measure of electrical energy equivalent to
a power consumption of 1,000 watts for 1 hour. When the weather is hot and the air
conditioning unit is constantly running, the amount of kWhs should increase due to the need for
energy to cool the house. The same process is needed when it is extremely cold outside. To
decrease kWh used during the day, passive energy is the cheapest format. Passive energy is
natural energy which is directly harnessed to achieve a desired goal. For example, if it is hot
outside but there is a nice breeze open windows or if there isnt a breeze close all blinds and keep
the lights off. Incandescent light bulbs often contribute more heat output then light, so turning off
lights will lower the temperature of the house. This is experiment is performed personally to
apply to actual using of your home. The hypothesis is as follows, if I record the amount of
energy my house uses each day over a 10 day period, then I will find that my household uses less
than 60 kilowatt hours on average per day and has a moderate impact on the environment. The
average kWh use per day for a normal household is 36 kWh.
To perform this experiment one will need access to their electricity meter, a copy of the
electric bill, access to the thermostat, and to be able to check the electricity meter at the same
time every day. Firstly record the amount of kilowatt hours used every day, at the same time, for
a ten day period. Each and every day collect observations on the patterns of electricity used in
the household, particularly appliances. Also observe the air conditioner setting and record the
weather outside. Obtain a copy of your electricity bill and calculate the average daily cost for
electricity in your house. After calculating the daily electricity usage average out the cost per
kWh. If it is indicated on your electricity bill, how does your estimate compare? In order to
determine the amount of carbon dioxide released by your electricity consumption each month,
multiply the number of kilowatt-hours used per month by the kilograms of carbon dioxide
produced per kWh. If a coal-burning power plant is the main source for you electricity, the
amount of sulfur dioxide emitted per month can be approximated by multiplying the number of
kilowatt-hours used per month by kilograms of sulfur dioxide/kWh. Consult your local power
utility to determine the fuel mix used to generate electricity in your area. (If coal or oil is used,
determine the amount of sulfur dioxide produced.)
Data over Ten day Period
Date Meter Reading
(kWh)
Daily Usage Weather Conditions Notable Appliance Usage
10/10/2014 59101 0 partly cloudy high of 81
low 55
Washer and dryer, stove, air
conditioner, TV
10/11/2014 59164 63 rainy high 81 low 55 Washer and dryer, stove, air
conditioner, TV
10/12/2014 59207 43 rainy high 61 low 59 Washer and dryer, stove, air
conditioner, TV
10/13/2014 59252 45 Sunny high 81 low 60 Washer and dryer, stove, air
conditioner, TV
10/14/2014 59321 69 Cloudy high 81 low 70 Washer and dryer, stove, air
conditioner, TV
10/15/2014 59391 70 Rainy high 74 low 58 Washer and dryer, stove, air
conditioner, TV
10/16/2014 59430 39 Sunny high 72 low 52 Washer and dryer, stove, air
conditioner, TV
10/17/2014 59465 35 Partly cloudy high 77 Washer and dryer, stove, air
Average kWh: 50
Data of personal electric bill

Environmental Impact: Average usage over ten days: 50 kWh per day and Wake electrics fuel
mix is 50% nuclear, 40% coal and 10% natural gas.
Impact: 438 kWh over 10 tens multiplied by 3 (approximate monthly usage) =1314 kWh
1314 X 50% nuclear= 657 kWh of nuclear energy is cleaner than coal and natural gas.
1314 X 40% coal= 525.6 kWh (.97X525.6) = 509.83g CO
2
, (.006x525.6)=3.15g SO
2

0
63
43
45
69
70
39
35
46
38
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
A
M
O
U
N
T

O
F

E
N
E
R
G
Y

DATE OF ENERGY TAKEN
Ten day energy use
low 50 conditioner, TV, chargers
10/18/2014 59506 46 Partly cloudy high 77
low 50
Washer and dryer, stove, air
conditioner, TV
10/19/2014 59544 38 Sunny high 60 low 45 Washer and dryer, stove, air
conditioner, TV
Total Bill
Amount
# of day of Power
Bill
Average Cost per day Average use per day Average cost per kWh
$307.10 31 $8.89 81 kWh $0.37
1314 x 10% natural gas= 131.4 kWh (.47X525.6) =247.03g CO
2
(.005x131.4)= .657g SO
2

My house contains three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. The R-value of the
insulation is R 30 and the circulation in the attic is moderate. There is no air conditioning or
heating just vents for air flow. There are pine trees in the front and throughout the entire
backyard and lots of bushes creating shade. Because my house is fairly new, the shingles on the
roof are in great condition, they are asphalt shingles. The backdoor, front door, and windows are
all very secure with no airflow. The weather strips are in great shape the garage door on the other
hand, could use a new weather strip. Another important feature in my house is the gas fire place,
this is only used when it is snowing or extremely cold outside.
. In the month of September my electrical usage was double the average this is because
every day my entire family was home and running multiple different appliances. During the
month of October, the electrical usage was still high but decreased significantly because the
weather became normal. The more kilowatts of energy used the higher the electrical bill
therefore the more emissions produced by the electrical plant. It is important for my family to try
to minimize our electricity usage as much as possible in order to have the smallest impact on the
environment. Restricting electrical usage will also lower our monthly bill. By using methods of
passive heating, we can naturally cool our house by opening windows when there is a breeze or
closing blinds and keeping lights off when it is hot outside. When doing the math problems, the
parts of the experiment were related to energy consumption and the levels of carbon dioxide and
sulfur dioxide output. The independent variable was the amount of energy consumed by the
household and the dependent variable was the amount of pollutants released because of that
amount of energy consumption.
This lab has allowed me to learn more about electricity and energy usage by observing an
average middle class American familys home for a period of ten days. It also demonstrated how
the use of different appliances in your house can increase or decrease your energy consumption
per day. The days when not many people were home and less appliances were used, a lot less
energy was required, opposed to on days when many people were home and had to wash
multiple loads of laundry or mass amounts of cooking. My hypothesis was incorrect in stating
that my household will use less than 60 kWh per day. These results surprised me greatly because
I was not aware how much energy my house was consuming therefore, releasing a significant
contribution of carbon dioxide into the environment. My house produces highly effects to the
general population in polluting the environment. This lab would become more accurate the
longer period of time it is done over. If this lab was performed over a year, a true estimate of the
average kWh per day could be determined. This lab can be related back to AP Environmental
Science in the sense of energy consumption and to the real world with the new passive solar
houses. In my research, I found that if one positions his/her house towards the south and as
cement floors and lots of curtains they can control the temperature of their house naturally
without the need of air conditioning. Although this is very intelligent and an incredible amount
of savings, it is very expensive and has to be done correctly to work. Just like any form of
renewable energy there are downfalls, specifically in this case all the emissions needed to
construct this house perfectly to be able to have passive solar heating.

Works Cited
"Passive Houses Aggressively Reduce Energy." USA Today. Gannett, n.d. Web. 20 Oct.
2014.