Name: Brendan Breen Date: 1/13/21

Student Exploration: Household Energy Usage

Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and
prompts in the orange boxes.

Vocabulary: current, energy consumption, fluorescent lamp, halogen lamp, incandescent lamp, lumen, usage,
voltage, wattage

Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)

1. Think about all the electrical appliances in your house. Which ones do you think use the most energy per
second?

I think the heating and A/C use the most energy.

2. Now think about how much each of these appliances is used. Which appliances do you think use the most
energy each month?

These appliances are almost on all the time.

Gizmo Warm-up
The Household Energy Usage Gizmo allows you to compare the energy
used by different appliances in the home. On the BEDROOM tab, click
the laptop computer.

1. Voltage (V) is a measure of how much electrical energy is in a

circuit. Most household circuits operate at 120 volts (120 V).

Is this true of the computer? this is true for the computer

2. Current (I) is a measure of the amount of electrical charge that passes through the circuit each second.
Current is measured in amperes (A).
How much current does the computer use? 0.9 current drawn

3. Wattage (W) is the energy that is used by a device each second. It is equal to current multiplied by voltage
(W = I × V). Wattage is measured in watts (W) or kilowatts (kW).

A. What is the wattage of the computer? the wattage is 108 W or 0.108 kW

B. Click on the other objects. Which has the highest wattage? The hair dryer has the highest
wattage
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 Activity A: Get the Gizmo ready:

Comparing light ● Click Reset all appliances.

bulbs ● Check that the BEDROOM tab is chosen.

Introduction: Three types of light bulbs can be found in a typical household:

● Traditional light bulbs are incandescent lamps. In this bulb, an electric current passes through a thin
tungsten filament. The filament heats up and glows, emitting light.
● In a halogen lamp, the filament is encased in a glass capsule containing pressurized gas. This allows
the filament to be heated to higher temperatures and emit brighter light.
● In a fluorescent lamp, an electrical current passes through a gas inside a phosphor-coated tube. The
gas emits ultraviolet radiation, which causes the phosphor to glow.

Question: Which kind of light bulb uses the least amount of energy?

1. Form hypothesis: Which of the three types of lamps do you think is the most efficient?

The fluorescent lamp is the most efficient.

2. Gather data: On the BEDROOM tab, click on the Incandescent light on the desk, and the Halogen lamp
to the right of the bed. Record the wattage of each. Then select the KITCHEN tab and record the wattage
of the overhead Fluorescent lamp.

Incandescent lamp: 60 W Halogen lamp: 300 W Fluorescent lamp: 30 W

3. Summarize: Which lamp uses the most energy? The Halogen Lamp Least? The Fluorescent Lamp

Which lamp uses the most energy? Halogen Lamp Least? Fluorescent Lamp

4. Analyze: To gauge the efficiency of a light bulb, it is also important to consider how much light it produces.
Light intensity is measured in lumens (lm). A lumen is equal to the light produced by a single candle. The
lumens produced by each type of light are listed below.

To compare the efficiency of each bulb, calculate how many lumens each bulb produces per watt. To do
this, divide the number of lumens by the wattage for each lamp. Include all units.

Lumens Wattage Lumens per watt

Lamp
(lm) (W) (lm/W)
Incandescent 800 lm 60 W 13.33lm/W
Halogen 6,000 lm 300 W 20lm/W
Fluorescent 2,000 lm 30 W 66.67lm/W

A. Which lamp produces light most efficiently? Fluorescent Lamp

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 B. Which lamp is the least efficient? Incandescent Lamp

5. Investigate: Use the Gizmo to estimate the cost of an incandescent lamp:

A. Select the BEDROOM tab on the left and the USAGE tab on the right. The usage of an electrical
appliance is the average number of hours it is turned on each day. Select the Incandescent light,
and set the Appliance usage to 4 hours 0 minutes.

B. Energy consumption is the total amount of energy used in a given time period. It is found by
multiplying the usage by the wattage. Energy consumption is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh).

What is the daily energy consumption of the incandescent lamp? 0.24 kWh

C. Choose the COST tab and check that 1 day is selected. Set the Cost of electricity to 10.0 ¢/kWh.
The daily cost is equal to the daily consumption (in kilowatt-hours) multiplied by the cost per kilowatt
hour (¢/kWh).

What is the daily cost of an incandescent lamp? 0.02 cents

D. Select 1 month (30 days). What is the monthly cost of this lamp? 0.72 cents

E. Select 1 year (365 days). What is the yearly cost of this lamp? 8.76 dollars

6. Calculate: Click Reset all appliances, and select the Halogen lamp in the bedroom. Find the daily energy
consumption, daily cost, monthly cost, and yearly cost of a halogen lamp. Keep the Appliance usage set
to 4 hours and the Cost of electricity set to 10.0 ¢/kWh.

Daily energy consumption: 1.2 kWh Daily cost of halogen lamp: 0.12 cents

Monthly cost of halogen lamp: 3.60 dollars Yearly cost of halogen lamp: 43.80 dollars

7. Calculate: Click Reset all appliances. Use the same procedure to find the daily energy consumption, daily
cost, monthly cost, and yearly cost of the fluorescent lamp in the kitchen. Use the same usage and cost of
electricity values.

Daily energy consumption: 0.12 kWh Daily cost of fluorescent lamp: 0.01 cents

Monthly cost of fluorescent lamp: 0.36 cents Yearly cost of fluorescent lamp: 4.38 dollars

8. Apply: Suppose a family replaces ten 60-watt incandescent bulbs with ten 30-watt fluorescent lamps. If
each light was used for 4 hours per day and the cost of electricity was 10.0 ¢/kWh, how much money would
they save in a year? Explain your answer.

At first there was a total of 600 W of energy.

Using 4 hours daily this amounted to 2400 Wh = 2.4 kWh.
In one year they had 876 wH.

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If we multiply this by 10 (for 10 cents) we get 8760 cents which is 87.60 dollars for the 60-watt
incandescent bulbs
Now for the math for the 30 Watt bulbs
the total power of the bulbs is 300W
If each are used 4 hours a day
300 x 4 = 1200 Wh
1.2 kWh
Now the total power is
1.2 x 365 = 438 kWh
cost of electricity =10 cents/kWk
so 438 x 10 = 4380 cents = 43.80 dollars
87.6- 43.8 = 43.80 dollars saved

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 Activity B: Get the Gizmo ready:

Your energy bill ● Click Reset all appliances.

Question: How much energy does your household consume?

1. Observe: In the Gizmo, go through the house, clicking on the different electrical appliances. Which
appliances have the highest wattages?

The electric stove has the highest wattage in the house because it is used everyday to make
food.

2. Form hypothesis: Which household appliances do you think use the most energy in a day?

I think the stove use uses the most energy

3. Gather data: Choose the USAGE tab. Select each appliance that is used in your house, and estimate its
daily usage. (For appliances you use less frequently, such as the clothes dryer, think about how much it is
used in a week, and then divide by seven.) Water heaters are on about five hours per day, and refrigerators
are on about eight hours per day.

Record wattages, your daily usage estimates, and daily energy consumptions for your household in the
tables below. Include units.

Wattage Daily usage Daily consumption

Room Appliance
(kW) (h) (kWh)
Incandescent light 60W=0.06 kW 1 hr .06 kWh
Printer 300W=0.3 kW 15 min .075 kWh
108W=0.108
Computer 8 hrs .864 kWh
kW
1584W=1.584
Hair dryer 30 min .972 kWh
kW
Bedroom
132W=0.132
Electric blanket 6 hrs .576 kWh
kW
24W=0.024
Small fan 24 hrs 5.4 kWh
kW
60W=0.06
Halogen lamp 5 hrs .025 kWh
kW

Television set 300W=0.3kW 5 hrs 1.55 kWh

48W=0.048k
Paddle fan 12 hrs .576 kWh
Living W
room Air conditioner 900W=0.9kW 6hrs 5.4 kWh
150W=0.15k
Large lamp 10 min .025 kWh
W

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 150W=0.15k
Stereo system 24 hrs 3.6 kWh
W
Reading light 60W=0.06kW 2 hr 30 min .15 kWh

Wattage Daily usage Daily consumption

Room Appliance
(kW) (h) (kWh)
330W=0.33k
Refrigerator 8 hrs 2.64 kWh
W
Electric stove 4950=49.5kW 12 hrs 59.4 kHw
1200W=1.2l
Microwave oven 5 min .0996 kWh
W
Fluorescent light 30W=0.03kW 30 min .015 kWh
1290W=1.29k
Kitchen Dishwasher 1 hr .2198 kWh
W
660W=0.06k
Coffee maker 20 min 0.039 kWh
W
780W=0.78k
Toaster 3 min .039 kWh
W
1500W=1.5k
Kettle 10 min .2505 kWh
W

Dryer 4510W=45.1 6 hrs 27.06 kWh

Laundry Washer 630W=0.63 5 hrs 3.15 kWh
room Iron 1020W=1.02 3 min .0337 kWh
Water heater 2970W=2.97 24 hrs 71.82 kWh

4. Analyze: Select the CONSUMPTION tab. The table lists the energy consumed by each appliance in a day.
The Total daily energy consumption is reported below the table.

A. What is the total daily energy consumption for your house? 180.0668kWh

B. Which appliances are the biggest “energy hogs” in your house? I honestly just put
random amounts,
because I did not
know how much my
family used
appliances. With this
the stove became the
biggest energy user.

5. Apply: Now click the COST tab. If you know the current price of energy per kilowatt-hour, use that.
Otherwise use 10.0 ¢/kWh. Set the Cost of electricity now.
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 What Cost of electricity value did you decide to use? stove

6. Calculate: Select 1 day, 1 month (30 days), and then 1 year (365 days). Record your household energy
cost for each time interval below.

1 day: 5.94 1 month: 178.20 1 year: 2168.10

7. Think and discuss: What strategies can you use to reduce your electricity bill? How much money could you
save? If possible, discuss your ideas with your classmates and teacher.

● you can turn off unnecessary lights

● change the degree of house to more match the outside
● take shorter showers
● turn off water when brushing your teeth
● open windows for natural rights

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