HOME ENERGY DETECTIVES

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1 HOME ENERGY DETECTIVES Overview: Determine how much energy your home uses each day by taking daily readings of your kilowatt meter. Discover how much power each appliance and technology in your home uses. Track your home energy consumption and learn ways to reduce. Questions: Part 1: Much energy does your home use? Part 2: How is energy distributed at home? What do you contribute to home energy use? Part 1: Daily Home Energy Consumption Below is an example of a five-dial electric meter. Notice that the pointers on the first, third and fifth dial move in the same direction as a hand of a clock. The second and fourth pointers move in the opposite direction. In the example above, the current meter reading is The meter was read the previous week at the same time and displayed Therefore the energy used over the course of the week for this location is 125 kwh. When Reading Your Electric Meter: Read the numbers from RIGHT to LEFT, and write them down in the same order. If the pointer is between two numbers, always read the lowest number. If the pointer is between 9 and 0, always read 9. If the pointer appears to be exactly on a number, read the next lowest number unless the pointer to its right has passed zero. Since the first dial has no dial to its right, the number must be read independent Each meter is numbered make note of your meter number.

2 Here are few examples. Fill in the blanks under each meter reading. Now record the numbers on your home s kilowatt meter. Observe meter readings over three consecutive days and record the numbers you find in the spaces provided below. With the information you gathered you can get a sense of how much energy your home averages daily. Subtract the number you recorded for day 1 from day 2 to determine: Day Day Day Day How many kilowatts hours were used day 1 2. Determine the energy used on day 2 and day 3 3. Determine the average for the three days by adding your daily findings up and dividing by three

3 4. Multiply your answer for question 3 by 30 for a monthly energy use estimate The average home uses roughly 1000 kilowatt hours a month. Where does your home fall on this scale? If you ve taken steps to reduce energy consumption already you likely use less energy, but even well built homes with efficient heating systems can be energy drains. Read on to learn more. Part 2: Where Does the Energy Go in Your Home? Home energy use is often discussed in terms of the three main energy users in our home: heating, hot water heating, and lighting and electronics. The graph to the right breakdowns the energy use around the home of average family of four. The typical home will spend 1900 dollars a year for electricity in the home It is interesting to note that as modern homes are built with highly efficient heating systems and low energy use lighting, electronics is the fastest growing area of energy consumption in our home. *Statistics courtesy of Energy Star.gov Many common electronics also draw energy in the form of phantom power. Phantom power is drawn from equipment that requires energy to power LCD displays or flash memory when the equipment is not in direct use. You can stop phantom load draws by placing home stereo systems and computer stations on power strips (preferably with built in circuit breaker) that can be turned off at night stopping the flow of electricity. How to determine the cost of appliances. To determine how much energy is used by equipment in your home aside from heating and hot water heating you ll need to know how many kilowatts they use each day. Below is a helpful list of basic electricity definitions that will help you understand what a kilowatt is and how to calculate kilowatt hours. Ampere or Amp (A) Volt (V) Watt (W) Kilowatt (kw) Kilowatt Hours (kwh) The unit for the electric current; the flow of electrons. A unit of measure of the force, or 'push,' in an electric circuit. A unit of power (not energy). In electricity, watts equal amps of current multiplied by volts of electromotive force. Power is a rate of instantaneous consumption. Amps x Volts = Watts 1000 watts = 1 kilowatt (kw) A unit of energy (not power). Amps x volts x hours = Kilowatt Hours

4 The Chart below is based on a kilowatt hour cost of 9 cents. Appliances by Room Kitchen Approximate Average Wattage Tip: There are 720 hours in a 30 day month Monthly Hours of Use Monthly kwh Approximate Cost to Operate Broiler Coffee Maker Dishwasher (with electric water heating) Frying Pan Range: small burner Range: large burner Oven Refrigerator Toaster Toaster Oven Lighting 60 watt incandescent bulb Compact Fluorescent 60 watt equivalent Compact Fluorescent 75 watt equivalent Compact Fluorescent 100 watt equivalent Bedroom and Bathroom

5 Electric Blanket Hair Dryer Heating Pad Bathroom Fan Laundry Room Dryer Washer (with electric water heater) Iron Sewing Machine Home Entertainment Computer, Monitor, Printer Stereo Television Video Cassette Recorder Heating and Cooling Air Conditioner (6,000 BTU) * 2.80 Air Conditioner (9,000 BTU) * Dehumidifier Electric Space Heater Water Heater (Family of 4) Water Heater (Family of 2) Outdoor Hedge Trimmer

6 Hot Tube , Lawn Mower Holiday Lighting (1 string standard C-7) Indoor - Other Ceiling Fan Vacuum Cleaner Gallon Fish Tank Pump, light, heater Always on *Statistical information courtesy of Eugene Water and Electric Board How Much Energy Do You Use? Appliance Category Cost of Use kwh per Month Typical Cost per Month Bathing tub bath 12 deep Shower with old showerhead (5gpm) With water-saving head (2.5gpm) Clothes Washing Hot Wash/Warm Rinse Hot Wash/Cold Rinse Warm Wash/Warm Rinse Warm Wash/Cold Rinse Cold Wash/Cold Rinse.21 per bath.35 per shower.18 per shower.34 per load.28 per load.29 per load.15 per load.2 per load bath per day shower per day shower per day 5.40 Clothes Drying.15 per 35 min loads 3.00 Dishwashing Automatic With air dry Hand dishwashing With rinse water flowing.20 per load.18 per load.10 per load.30 per load load per day load per day load per day load per day 9.00 Stove Top Burners 6 element.2 per 15 min. 24 twice a day 1.20

7 8 element.3 per 15 min 11 every other day -.55 Oven.13 for 2 hours meals per month 1.95 Toaster Oven Making toast.8 for 2 hours.1 per use hours per month uses per month -.15 Microwave Oven.3 per 20 min min per day -.75 Coffee Maker Brew cycle Warm cycle Entertainment Radio Television.1 per pot nominal Nominal.2 per hour pots per month hours per month hours per day hours per day 2.40 Refrigerator per day dollar a month Blow Dryer.1 per 15 min 7.5 Used everyday -.38 Lights 60 watt 60 on the porch 100 watt.1 per 4 hours.7 per day.2 per 4 hours hours per day -.36 On continuously hours per day -.60 Water Heater Heat Loss Uninsulated electric set at 150⁰ Insulated electric set at 120⁰ per month 2.10 per month *Statistical Information courtesy of Eugene Water and Electric Board 1. For each category circle the statistic in the Typical Monthly Cost column that best represents your lifestyle. Before moving on to learn about steps you can take to reduce overall energy use in your home, what observations can you make about the costs of daily home activities? In what areas do you see potential for costs savings. For example, if you wash clothes in hot/ cold cycles, consider reducing your consumption by washing clothes in cold/cold cycles (Tip: Modern detergents are designed to be effective with just cold water). Write down your thoughts in the space below. Answer Key to Part 1

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