Memo. To: CP Physics Students From: Mr. Rhine Date: 2/14/2012 Subject: Home Lighting Efficiency Project

Transcription

1 Memo To: CP Physics Students From: Mr. Rhine Date: 2/14/2012 Subject: Home Lighting Efficiency Project Over vacation you need to complete a home lighting energy audit to see how much your family could save per year if you replaced your inefficient incandescent and halogen bulbs with fluorescent (compact fluorescent lights, CFLs) or light emitting diode (LED) bulbs. If you play your cards right, you could negotiate with your parent to give you the first year savings in exchange for doing this project and replacing the bulbs for them! You may use this word document and the accompanying spreadsheet to compete your report (edit, cut & paste, etc.). Here is what you need to do to complete the project: 1) Create simple floor plans for each floor of your home to identify the type and power rating of each bulb in your house used for normal lighting. See Attachment 1 for an example. Don t bother with your basement, attic, or garage (unless you use those spaces frequently). Do include exterior lights. 2) Go to a hardware store or find a good on line source for light bulb information needed to fill out Attachment 2. I listed typical bulbs you would have in your home, but you may add or delete rows if needed. If you can find a knowledgeable person in the lighting department, they may be able to answer the questions (but if they mislead you, you will be marked wrong). If you find a good website, I will post a link on the wiki to help others in the class (and +2 bonus points!). Note that some inefficient bulbs may not have energy efficient replacements because of their compact size/shape/aesthetic appearance (example??). 3) Fill out Attachment 3 (Excel spreadsheet) and calculate the current estimated energy cost and the projected savings. If you would like to learn how to use formulas in the excel spreadsheet to do these calculations automatically, see me after school on Thursday for a 20 minute training session (bring in your laptop or use one of my computers). 4) Do some research to educate yourself about energy use in the US (Attachment 4). I will post a couple of links to information sources that you will find useful for certain questions. Others you can find on the internet from trusted sources. 5) Write a ONE PAGE memo to your parents summarizing the results of your investigation. The memo should be formatted similar to this memo, and should contain the following information: (the best memo will have four carefully written paragraphs, about ½ page of text) a) The purpose of this project (what action do you want your parents to take?) b) Explain what energy efficiency means, and why energy efficiency is one of the easiest ways for Americans to save money and help our economy (what economic, health, and national security issues can we as citizens help resolve) c) Explain/Contrast the different type of light bulbs available d) Closing summary/argument/call for action The project is due on the Monday after vacation, and it will count as a quiz/test grade ( 10%/day if late). Costa Rica students can turn in the project on the Wednesday after vacation.

2 Attachment 1: Sample Floor Layout (First Floor) Kitchen Bedroom 2xF32 3xC17 Legend: C = Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) Bathroom Hallway Closet F = Fluorescent I = I17 H = L = LED Example: C23 2xC23 = two 23W CFL s C17 Stairwell Foyer Living Room Ceiling fixture 1xC23 Wall fixture Porch/Mud Room C17 Floor or desk lamp Bold red outline = automatic light on motion sensor/timer

3 Attachment 2: Replacement options & comparison of bulb technology A. Table of replacement options Inefficient s (incandescent & halogen) Type candelabra candelabra (tube for floodlight) (tube for floodlight) (sealed bulb for floodlight) (sealed bulb for floodlight) (small bulbs under counter) Power Rating (W) Light Output (Lumens) Efficiency (Lumens / Watt) Avg. Life (hours) Purchase Price ($) Possible energy efficient replacements Type 100 CFL 75 CFL 60 CFL CFL B. Pro s and Con s for Various Types of s LED?? Power Rating (W) Light Output (Lumens) Efficiency (Lumens / Watt) Avg. Life (hours) Purchase Price ($) sdf daf Fluorescent / CFL LED Pro Con Pro Con Pro Con Pro Con asd asd

4 Attachment 3: Cost Savings Analysis (see excel spreadsheet)

5 Attachment 4: Research Questions 1) The cost of energy drives every part of our economy and is a large part of the price you pay for any consumer products. If you read the newspaper of watch the evening news, it is rare not to hear a report that related to energy. There are two major problems we face with energy: a) We import most of the oil we use from other nations. i) If those nations are not friendly, they could cut exports. Example: ii) Some other disaster (manmade or natural) could interrupt the flow of the oil to us. Example: iii) Rather than keep capital (dollars) in the US, we send it to other countries. How much did we spend on oil imports as a nation in 2010? b) Energy sources tend to have negative ecological impacts and pollution. What recent ecological impacts for each of the following sources (look up current events)? What type of pollution does each source emit? Oil Natural Gas Coal Nuclear Solar Wind Hydro Ecological Impact (major recent current event) Type of pollutants 2) The last three items on the list are commonly called renewable energy sources or green energy sources. Why? 3) You will hear experts say that the easiest source of renewable energy for us to develop is energy efficiency. What does that mean? 4) What percentage of the electrical energy in the US is generated from a) Renewable sources? b) Coal? c) Nuclear? d) Natural gas? e) Other sources?