Research Essay On The Energy Audit Of A House

The Energy Audit Of A House Research Essay

The energy that we use at home is a big part of the annual global CO2 emission. Having an energy efficient home is therefore not only a good way to  but also to save on money on energy bills (Energy Saving Trust, 2013). The Home Energy Saver website is a utility by the US Department of Energy that provides an audit of homes and gives recommendations on how to save on energy.

The audit was for a house of three in Kansas. The results of my audit revealed some interesting findings; the yearly saving from the recommendation is $562 per annum. In addition, implementing the recommendations could help my household reduce the electricity consumption by 2318 kWh and 300 Therms of natural gas. In terms of greenhouse gas emission savings, the recommendations would allow my, household alone is 7,716 lb, equivalent to the amount that 0.7 cars produce in a year (US Department of Energy, 2013).

According to the results of the audit, the largest consumer of energy in the house was the heating/cooling system and large appliances. The recommendation to reduce the energy consumption through heating and cooling is to use wood fuel to reduce the entire floor area heated (US Department of Energy, 2013). Other suggested recommendations include insulation and an automatic thermostat. This was a suggestion that I could adopt for the house and which would result to a total saving of $. Additional reccomedations for saving energy includes replacing the bulbs in the house with Compact fluorescent lamp, use of an ENERGY STAR clothes washer  together with natural gas clothes drier to save on electricity cost on  large implements and efficient gas-fired water heaters, which hold energy much longer in case of power interruptions (US Department of Energy, 2013).

Among the recommendation that I could consider adopting for this house include replacing my lighting bulbs with CFL's, using a gas furnace, installing a thermostat, and using an energy star clothes washer. This would avoid emission of 7,716 lbs od CO2.

 

References

Energy Saving Trust. (2013, March 31). Seven steps to saving energy straight away. Retrieved from  Energy Saving Trust

US Department of Energy. (2013, March 31). YEARLY ENERGY COSTS. Retrieved from US Department of Energy