Electrical Engineering homework
- How much money do you spend on energy each month?
- Electrical avg: $139
- Gas avg: $108
- In each area listed in this DIY package, what are your findings through the audit? Attach pictures to show problems you found in your home audit. Note: I added the pictures in my initial assignment, but uploading them all felt tedious, so I added my original assignment as an attachment.
- Air leaks
- While no significant air leaks appear to be present, a change in temperature was felt within the hearth of the fireplace and sunlight could be seen along the bottom of the front entrance door.
- Ventilation
- Most ventilation ports exit through our ceilings/roofs, minimizing their proximity and the likelihood of suction/discharge interaction.
- Insulation
- Getting into the attic is difficult, but a panel in our main bathroom closet allows visuals into a lower section of the roof/attic area and some of these checks could be done from there.
- (picture in attachment)
- While the roof area is not insulated, the walls along the side do appear to have a fairly thick layer of insulation.
- (picture in attachment)
- However, you can see the areas in the back where the upper portions of the insulation strips are beginning to fall. This will need to either be reaffixed or replaced all together to maximize heating and cooling maintenance of the house.
- (picture in attachment)
- One of the roof penetrations. While difficult to see from the camera angle, there is sealant around the pipe where it goes through the perimeter of the house.
- Heating/ac
- Thermostat
- Nest Eco
- (picture in attachment)
- This was a good assignment, because it gave me extra reason to go downstairs and change my AC filter!
- (picture in attachment)
- Our thermostat monitors our electricity use, specifically in regard to our heating and air, and allows us to trend and compare. We can also set hours of operations (which was more useful when we were leaving the house) and temperature bands to maintain.
- Water heater
- Rheem 40 gal natural gas heater
- https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rheem-Performance-50-Gal-Tall-6-Year-40-000-BTU-Natural-Gas-Tank-Water-Heater-with-Top-T-and-P-Valve-XG50T06TH40U0/307781506?mtc=Shopping-VF-F_D26P-G-D26P-26_10_WATER_HEATERS-Rheem-NA-Feed-PLA-NA-NA-WATER_HEATERS&cm_mmc=Shopping-VF-F_D26P-G-D26P-26_10_WATER_HEATERS-Rheem-NA-Feed-PLA-NA-NA-WATER_HEATERS-71700000033150354-58700003868932471-92700031086650213&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=CjwKCAjwjqT5BRAPEiwAJlBuBfXMGcCtC9RJGksjGZ68hLysymENXi1adOywFTLnp7kXV0ZrUyw92BoC-Y4QAvD_BwE
- Eco-friendly burner, low NOx design
- Thermostat
- Getting into the attic is difficult, but a panel in our main bathroom closet allows visuals into a lower section of the roof/attic area and some of these checks could be done from there.
- Air leaks
- AC unit
- Goodman 2.5 ton air handler
- (picture in attachment)
- (picture in attachment)
- This is probably the piece of equipment that needs the most urgent repair or replacement. Leaks and insulation were added prior to our purchase of the house. No significant issues have been noted (although we’ve had maintenance people come out a couple of times to unfreeze the fan outside), but the age and condition will definitely affect our efficiency and bill.
- Goodman 2.5 ton air handler
- Lighting
- We’ve been in our house for just shy of 4 years and have slowly replaced regular incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent and then LED bulbs. We’ve recently been looking into Phillips smart bulb technology, but haven’t taken that leap yet.
- Appliances
- Fridge:
- Samsung High efficiency
- https://www.homedepot.com/p/Samsung-30-in-W-21-8-cu-ft-French-Door-Refrigerator-in-Stainless-Steel-RF220NCTASR/203707196?mtc=Shopping-VF-F_D29A-G-D29A-29_13_REFRIGERATION-Multi-NA-Feed-PLA-NA-NA-MajorAppl&cm_mmc=Shopping-VF-F_D29A-G-D29A-29_13_REFRIGERATION-Multi-NA-Feed-PLA-NA-NA-MajorAppl-71700000032407472-58700003838956055-92700030735505582&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=CjwKCAjwjqT5BRAPEiwAJlBuBZYfTQEAZAxFtC8HXLLgfWooUP97v0FHaDhDsV3zARKJeQM_xojBQhoC0l4QAvD_BwE (Links to an external site.)
- This is the most recent big appliance that has been replaced, only being a few years old. It has temperature setting for energy use management and alarms that allow awareness if doors remain open/temperatures fluctuate.
- Washer/Dryer
- Whirlpool Duet: high efficiency
- These were purchased in our previous house, but are less than 10 years old and more efficient than the set in our old house and the set that came with this house.
- Fridge:
- Unplugging appliances that are not in use is a habit that I’ve attempted to initiate but has never held. I recognize this as a relatively simple change to implement, and hope to make it a more regular part of my energy consumption reduction in the future.
- Where are your greatest energy losses? And what is your plan to fix it?
- The greatest energy losses, I assume, are through air conditioning. My husband works from home and had a large electronic set up in his office. This heats up the office considerably and requires extra work by the unit to maintain that room at the desired house temperature. This also tends to make the rest of the house colder than necessary. Our current plans for this include a second thermometer attached to the thermostat, hopefully to allow a better maintenance of overall temperatures and not focus directly on the office. Also, the eventual upgrade of that unit (as it appears to be an older version and likely less efficient) with integration into the smart system, will contribute as well.
- How long will it take for an investment in energy efficiency to pay for itself in energy cost savings?
- This depends on the investment made, it’s cost and how much it increases efficiency compared to the previous equipment. Newer models of furnaces boast a 96% efficiency rate. Compared to older models that had originally been 80%, a 16% efficiency increase would mean a 16% decrease in energy usage. If this is put towards our air system (assuming the majority of the electrical bill comes from this), we could see a decrease in $22 per month, saving $264 per year. It would take about 15 years for that to add up to the ~$3500 it would take to replace the furnace and AC system. This is similar to the payoff described by the solar panel installation and payoff on EnergySage estimates.
- Do the energy-saving measures provide additional benefits that are important to you? For example, increased comfort from installing double-paned, efficient windows?
- Increased comfort is a nice benefit of energy saving and efficiency, and in my home specifically, I feel there is a desire to make it the most desirable place to be. However, I feel like the additional benefit of just knowing that I’m reducing fuel use (even just as one person) gives me joy and encourages me to work to further this work more than comfort. As someone with hopes to work in environmental policy and potentially renewables, incorporating it in my everyday life as much as possible feels natural and necessary.
