Exercises — Lab 8: Energy Resources and Efficiency — Energy Audit
1 hands-on tasks. Do them in order; each one feeds the Canvas item it names.
60 min · lab-scaffold
1. Lab 8 write-up scaffold
- HYPOTHESIS — Predict which room or category (heating/cooling, lighting, or electronics) will account for the largest share of your household's energy use.
- METHODS — Describe your audit procedure: how you inventoried appliances (wattage labels, manufacturer specs, or online lookup), how you estimated daily usage hours, and how you calculated daily kWh for each item.
- DATA TABLE — Create a table: appliance/system, wattage (watts), hours used per day, kWh per day (watts × hours ÷ 1,000), kWh per month. Calculate totals. Include all rooms and plug loads you can access.
- ANALYSIS — Which appliance or system dominates your household's energy use? Calculate the monthly CO₂ equivalent (kWh × 0.386 kg/kWh). Identify your top three efficiency opportunities and estimate kWh savings from each.
- CONCLUSION — (1) Was your hypothesis supported? (2) What is one source of error in a self-reported energy audit? (3) How does reducing your household energy use connect to BIO 1120 Outcome 3 — the impact of human activities on ecosystems?
Turn in / bring: Submit audit data table + write-up + Discussion Board Posting through Canvas by 11/9 @ 11:59pm.