Sustainable Systems: Analyzing Energy Efficiency

Q1. Please consider a place familiar to you so you can collect data reliably. This could be your office, home or apartment or room you are living in and perform these steps before starting to write the report.

a) List all the means by which the place you considered uses the energy
b) Identify two appliances which consume the most energy. Identify all relevant information regarding the products (energy use, alternatives, efficiency, frequency, cost).

All answers from now onwards address the two appliances you have chosen in (b).

c) Find out the sources of energy (gas, coal, electricity, solar) and its cost and environmental impact (especially look for carbon emissions per kg or kWh, provide the emission factor for the state you chose in Assignment 1. The state selection is Victoria for this assignment.

d) What organisations (regulatory and/or voluntary) in Australia promote energy efficiency in general and in which way for products you use in the chosen place?

e) Identify which soft tools (regulatory, social, financial, marketing) have worked in reducing the energy consumption or environmental impacts of energy production and delivery in the state you have chosen. Provide at least one example for each category.

f) Identify the opportunities to decrease energy consumption including but not limited to replacement of devices, timer switches, manual switching off, programmed switches, off-peak power usage, alternative fuel etc. and select two options for improvement.

g) Perform the cost benefit analysis for the one improvement option

h) Conclude the best option of the two. Provide reasoning

Q2. Now present the information in a report form individually. Each sub-question above (1a, 1b..) can be presented in a subsection with an appropriate sub-title. The report should have an executive summary, introduction, and background of the place you have chosen.

Energy efficiency in a household setting

Energy efficiency is a goal aimed at reducing the net energy required to accomplish a given task. For instance, it may include insulating a house in conjunction with the passive design techniques to control moisture, and air leakage into and out of the house which allows minimal use of heating and cooling energy to maintain a comfortable environment. Installing energy saving lights such as Light emitting diode lights or fluorescent lights lessens the amount of energy required to achieve the lighting requirements in a household in comparison to the traditional incandescent light bulbs. Enhancements in energy usage demands are made through the adoption of the relevant, efficient technologies or through adopting the production processes which are proven viable and economical in terms of energy usage.

There are many driving factors to achieving energy efficiency (Zambini, 2006), such as efforts to reduce the expenditure on energy which may in a big way save the spending on providing the required energy although this may counterforce additional costs of devising an energy efficient technology. Adopting a dynamic energy system can also be viewed as a mechanism of minimizing the carbon emissions. Improved efficient energy in structures as well as in transportation could in a significant way lower the world’s energy needs by one third according to IEA in 2050 and also help in curbing the global emissions of the greenhouse gases.

The most commonly employed tools in an attempt to achieve energy efficiency include the use of renewable energy sources and is a high priority in the sustainable energy ranking. Energy efficiency in some countries has been proven to a national security benefit because it can be devised as a means of minimizing the energy shipping in from other nations and may lower the tempo at which the domestic energy resources are exploited.

In a living premise such as a household, energy efficiency can be taken as a goal to minimize energy usage and save on the extra spending which could otherwise be incurred if no energy saving modes were deployed (Palm, 2011). The possible manners in which the energy is used in a household include but are not limited to; dishwashing, clothes washing and dryers, freezers, ovens, stoves, gas cookers, lighting, powering electrical equipments such as electrical cookers such as induction cookers, televisions, fans, iron boxes, water heaters, mobile phones, radios and others.

Some of the appliances proven to have a prolonged run energy consumption include the clothes dryers and refrigerators. Installing clothesline can to a large extent reduce the energy consumption as the dries use will be minimal. The modern energy-saving refrigerators, for instance, use 45% lesser power more than the traditional designs in the start of the twentieth century. This led to households change in their approach towards electrical appliances to more modernized new ones; for example in Europe, 20 billion kWh of electricity would be stockpiled every year, which in turn would lower the Carbon dioxide emission by approximately 17 billion kg. This can be termed as a success in the concerted efforts to minimize the carbon emissions whose impacts are the worrying global warming trend. The installation of the modern appliances to replace the conventional ones is one of the most efficient measures to reducing the carbon emissions into the environment which has been proven to have long-term impacts on the biological segment of the ecosystem. Contemporary power handling approaches also minimizes the extent of energy consumption by inactive gadgets by throuth switching them automatically or by lowering their energy consumption mode to a specific preset duration of time.

A review of energy usage in the State of Victoria, Australia

In another context such as in the state of Victoria which is in Australia, the energy is generated using a number of fuel technologies including but not limited to natural gas, coal and inexhaustible sources of power such as hydropower, wind energy and solar energy which are some of the proven efficient energy sources which have limited carbon emission in the extended run usage (Cook, Geel, Kaars & Arkel, 2011). Brown coal is the core energy source in the electrical power production the state of Victoria which is ranked as the major contributor to the Australia’s overall domestic carbon emissions in the country. Australia has been scaled as the highest contributor to greenhouse gas related environmental contamination. The net usage of brown coal in energy production in Australia approximates to about 85% in the different settings be it in the households, commercial or in the industries. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics from the Climate Change and Energy efficiency department, energy production in the state of Victoria reckoned for 84.4% of the total emissions during the year 2009, which was succeeded by Agricultural practices which was around 10.7%, Industry and industrial processes followed by 2.6%, and finally waste disposal accounted for around 2.4% (Price, Penman, Bradstock, Boer & Clarke, 2015). This Victorian state claimed  position three as the leading carbon gases emitter entirely from all states and as well territories in the year 2009, by producing 22.5% of the gross Australian emissions. Carbon dioxide equivalent emissions for Victoria in the year 2009 summed up to 122.8 million tones, a rise of 4.4% from 1999 statistics.

Some of the agencies in Australia which encourage energy efficiency include Energy Efficiency Council. This is a national non-profitable membership organization. It is at the peak of energy efficiency and conservation as well as cogeneration and demand management in Australia. It has an ultimate goal to make a sensible and cost-effective energy efficiency measures to be practiced in the Australian economy (Henry, 2012). It was formed in the year 2009 and represents at least 70 members from the business sector and as well the government sector. It aims at providing high-quality advice management and services, production, installation or service energy activities among others. This organization’s main quest is to make reasonable, affordable and efficient energy measures across the Australian economy. Another group promoting energy efficiency but not limited is the Environment Business Australia among others (Salazar & Rios, 2010). The Energy Efficient Council launches events that examine the cause of the gas rise in prices. It also analyses the policies that are available to the government and possible options for the vast gas users and try to reduce the exposure to the gas prices through energy efficiency and fuel switching.

Regulatory, social, financial, and marketing attempts in reducing the energy consumption or impacts of energy consumption in the state of Victoria

The Australian national government has been extensively involved in pioneering the nation it the efforts to uplift the state of energy conservation, predominantly through the government’s division of Industry and Science (GUERRERO, 2012). The Australian government developed a ten-year plan in July 2009 under the National Strategy on Energy Efficiency aimed at accelerating the achievement of a general assumption of efficient energy measures and a transformation of the state into a low carbon future. Some of the legal frameworks established in the state of Victoria in an effort to achieve a carbon-free state includes helping the households and business premises in achieving a metamorphosis to a low carbon production, streamlining the assumption of efficient energy through provision of substitutes and offering both short term and long term substitutes, and finally prompting the government through the relevant departments to partner and lead a way to providing efficient energy sources ( Baldwin, Andrew, Hui, Eddie, Wong, Francis, & Davies, Hilary, 2006).

Organizations in Australia promoting energy efficiency

The social attempts include the economies of scale. The larger the entity, the smaller the amount each household will be charged. For example, power usage increase with the number of people per household in case there is no room sharing since it brings about some more electrical appliances such as bulbs.

Australian government should focus on financing the production and giving subsidies on postmodern equipment which are produced with the aim of achieving energy efficiency which will, in turn, have long run minimized carbon emissions (Cheong, 2010). For example, production of modern refrigeration systems as opposed to the conventional ones.

Vigorous strategies should be employed to create the brand awareness in the Victorian state. This will help to build an insight on the most appropriate and cost-effective equipment to be used by it in the household or industrial setting. This will ensure that energy efficient technology with minimal greenhouse gas emissions is used.

There are many opportunities which are used to lower the energy use consumption. For example, in case of a fan used to cool the house, other means can be deployed such as regulation of the house, use of alternative methods of cooking instead of the use of the electrical cookers and substitute with the likes of as cookers, coal, biogas energy, application of the reduce principle (Hamilton, Whitzman, Carolyn, Fincher & Ruth, 2011). The Victorian energy saver organization has identified some ways by which we can reduce the energy consumption. These are such as wearing right clothes. For example during winter, wearing the woolen garments keeps you warm hence turn the heater down. This can be well achieved by closing curtains and keeping the doors closed since the cooling and heating houses would incur some extra cost. Another way of reducing energy consumption is by setting your thermostat. Setting a thermostat within a given range can reduce the energy consumption. For example, a variety of between 18-20 degrees since every degree above 20 may add about 10% on the heating bill (Prentiss, 2015).

Another way is to turn off the appliances that heats or cools off when least needed. In case of leaving the house, turn off the heaters and the coolers. Even turn off the coolers and heaters in the offices that are unoccupied. It also states that you can reduce the energy use by washing clothes using cold water. This saves a lot of power usage. Ensuring that you select the appropriate clothes cleaning intervals or cycles, and as well to wait till a piles of clothes. Another reasonable way is by running your fridge efficiently. Other techniques are such as insulating your room, stoppage of standby power wastage, saving more energy in the kitchen, and the use of energy-efficient light globes.

A cost analysis is a process whereby business conclusion is analyzed. The benefits from an individual activity or situation are summed up, and the cost incurred subtracted. In the context, the cost-benefit analysis of replacing the 70W lights with 30W CFL household lights is evaluated.

Difference in Wattage between the 70W lights and the 30W lights is:

70W -30W=40W (difference)

Using the above wattage difference, it’s possible to determine how much electricity or expenditure on electricity each bulb can save year.

Calculating energy consumption of every bulb in Kilowatt-hour (kWh). The Wattage enables the calculation of the energy consumption in kWh.1

Number of bulb lights × Electrical energy consumption =Net electrical energy consumed Net electrical energy consumed ×0.001= Electrical energy consumed in kilowatt units Electrical energy consumed in Kilowatt units × total duration of lighting in hours= kWh

kWh × Electricity price rating per unit= Net expenditure per year Assuming a household has: 20 Lights, 70W Bulbs or 30W Bulbs 2500 Hours of usage

$ 0.10 for every kWh unit

The amount of electrical energy consumed by 20, 70Watt bulbs is:

20 × 70W =1400 W

1400W×0.001= 1.4 kW

1.4kW ×2500 Hours = 3500 kWh

3500 kWh × 0.1 =$350 to operate 20 lamps with 70W.

The amount of electrical energy consumed by 20, 30W bulbs is:

20 ×30W =600W

600W × 0.001= 0.6kW

0.6kW × 2500 hours= 1500 kWh

1500 kWh×0.1 = $150 to operate 20 lamps with 30W.

The variance in the electrical energy consumption;

70W – 30W = 40 W

$350 -$150=$ 200 annual savings

$200 ÷ 20 bulbs = $10 for each bulb                                                                                 

Therefore, from the cost-benefit analysis on replacing the electrical light bulbs of 70W with the 30W electrical light bulbs can save much in terms of the net expenditure on the lighting expenses and hence, the 30W light bulbs become the option of choice.

It’s possible to spend $10 on every bulb and get 100% investment cover up in the first year. Mainly, a light bulb can run to a maximum of four years. If the investment payback is covered in the first year, that translates to 3-year saving benefits which sums up to $ 600 of the total savings from the second, third and fourth year in tandem. You invest $200, and in 4 years the returns amount to $ 600. This is a 300% returns on investment. 

References 

Baldwin, Andrew, Hui, Eddie, Wong, Francis, & Davies, Hilary. (2006). Carbon dioxide levels and ventilation strategies in 'green' office buildings. Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Cheong, Z. X. (2010). Energy saving controller for fluorescent lamps.

Cook, E. J., Geel, B. ., Kaars, S. ., & Arkel, J. . (December 01, 2011). A Review of the use of Non-Pollen Palynomorphs in Palaeoecology with Examples from Australia. Palynology, 35, 2, 155-178.

GUERRERO-LEMUS, R. I. C. A. R. D. O., Guerrero-lemus, Ricardo., & Martinez-duart, Jose Manuel. (2012). Renewable Energies and Co2: Cost Analysis, Environmental Impacts and Technological Trends- 2012 Edition. Springer Verlag.

Hamilton, C., Whitzman, Carolyn, Fincher, Ruth, & Hamilton, Cathryn. (n.d.). Renewable energy, planning policy and local government's capacity to act. State of Australian Cities - SOAC.

Henry, R., Project Air Force (U.S.), & Rand Corporation. (2012). Promoting international energy security: Sea-lanes to Asia. Santa Monica, CA: RAND.

Prentiss, M. G. (2015). Energy revolution: The physics and the promise of efficient technology.

Price, O. F., Penman, T. D., Bradstock, R. A., Boer, M. M., & Clarke, H. (November 01, 2015).

Biogeographical variation in the potential effectiveness of prescribed fire in south-eastern Australia. Journal of Biogeography, 42, 11, 2234-2245.

Palm, J. (2011). Energy Efficiency in Households. Hauppauge: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Salazar, A., & Rios, I. (2010). Sustainable agriculture: Technology, planning and management. New York: Nova Science Publishers.

YANG, M. I. N. G. (2016). ENERGY EFFICIENCY. Place of publication not identified: SPRINGER LONDON LTD.

Zambini, L. S. (2006). Energy efficiency. New York: Novinka Books.