Reference no: EM133394410

The purpose of the assignment is to give you an indication of the power of conservation practices. Perhaps in doing this exercise you will see value in investing in efficient technology.

1. Look around your home/apartment, think about the devices that continually use electricity, even when you are not home. Which ones could you unplug without causing much inconvenience? List each type of device (example: one fan, two lamps) Note: some of these devices may be using energy even when they are "off", costing you money unnecessarily.

2. Of the devices that continually use electricity, that you aren't likely to unplug right at this moment, which ones could you unplug when you will be away for several days?

3. (old fashioned) Incandescent bulbs vs (CFLs) Florescent bulbs vs LED bulbs:

a) Do research online to find out the difference in longevity (how long they last before needing to be replaced) between (old fashioned) incandescent bulbs vs (CFLs) florescent bulbs vs LED bulbs. These numbers may be measured in expected hours of operation before needing to be replaced. Fill in the blanks with your research values.

__________ incandescent bulbs __________ florescent bulbs __________ LED bulbs

b) Do research online to find out the current cost difference between (old fashioned) incandescent bulbs vs (CFLs) florescent bulbs vs LED bulbs. A common 60-watt lightbulb, giving off 800 lumens of light is good for this comparison. Fill in the blanks with your research values.

$_________ incandescent bulb $_________ CFL bulb $_________ LED bulb

c) Now you need to consider the amount of energy consumed by the different types of bulbs. First, compare the energy demands of one lightbulb of each type that is on in a house an average of 4 hours per day for one year (365 days). We will use a common 60-watt lightbulb for this example. I have provided you with the kilowatt (kw) value, which is a measure of how much energy is used for each lightbulb type. You must fill in the other blanks and multiply to get the answer. List the values for kw-hrs.

Incandescent ___.06___ (kw) x _____(hrs) x ______(days) = _____________ kw-hrs

CFL ___.015__ (kw) x _____(hrs) x ______(days) = _____________ kw-hrs

LED ___.01___ (kw) x _____(hrs) x ______(days) = _____________ kw-hrs

Note: This is the amount of energy used by only one of each light bulb type for a year.

4. Take a moment and count how many lightbulbs you have at your own home/apartment. Put the total here. __________________

5. Assuming an average US household has 45 bulbs, how much money would a household spend on each type of bulb for a year? This is a good question, but it is going to require a few steps.

First, I went to Florida Power and Light's (FPL) website to look at how much they charge per kilowatt hour.

I found that they charge .1142 dollars/kw (this equals 11.42 cents) for up to 1000 kw per month, but, if you use more than 1000 kw in a month, then the price is .1188 dollars/kw (*) for all the kw's used above 1000. Hold on there...

Does that sound odd to you? If you use more energy, they charge you a higher price. But FPL is in the business of selling energy, so why would they charge you more, if you used more of their product? It seems like most other companies give you a cost reduction if you buy a greater quantity of their product (buying in bulk, for example). Why would FPL charge you more then, if you use more energy in a month?

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Now let us get to cost per year...

Step 1: Get the average household number of kw-hrs. For the first blank, use the value you calculated for question 3c above in the first blank respectively. Fill in the blanks for the total annual kw-hrs.

Incandescent ______ (kw-hrs) x _45__(bulbs) = _____________ total annual kw-hrs
CFL ______ (kw-hrs) x _45__(bulbs) = _____________ total annual kw-hrs
LED ______ (kw-hrs) x _45__(bulbs) = _____________ total annual kw-hrs

Step 2: Because the value for total annual kw-hrs for Incandescent is higher than 1000 kw-hrs, the cost calculation step for Incandescent will require a bit more math (see below). Remember that FPL charges .1142 dollars/kw for up to 1000 kw, so the first 1000 kw-hours equals a $114.20 charge. Fill in all of the blanks below.

?Incandescent (_____________ total annual kw-hrs minus 1000) x .1188 = $_________

??Then add the amount above to $114.20 (for the 1000 kw-hrs) = _____________ total annual cost

CFL ______ (total annual kw-hrs) x .1142 = _____________ total annual cost

LED ______ (total annual kw-hrs) x .1142 = _____________ total annual cost

Note: this is the cost for lighting one average household per year.

Prices may vary, as they fluctuate.

6. With 51,248 students at Palm Beach State College, what would be the total savings, if all students switched their household incandescent lightbulbs for LEDs?

Step 1:

Use the numbers from question 5 to fill in the blanks below, and then calculate the total annual cost savings per household.

Incandescent total annual cost __________ minus LED total annual cost _________ = $_______________ (total annual cost savings per household)

Step 2:

51,248 (students) x __________________(total annual cost savings per household) = $ ______________

Fill in all the blanks above.

Note: This is how much money PBSC students could save each year by switching out their lightbulbs to more efficient types.

7. Describe whether or not you were surprised by the impact that just changing light bulbs could have, if the whole student body participated? Share your thoughts on this assignment in at least two complete sentences.