Discussion Post On electricity bill
You have noticed a sudden spike (increase) in your electricity bill. Suggest how can you use the scientific process to address and solve the problem. Suggest at least three possible solutions to the problem based on the principles of sustainability without compromising on your daily necessary usage. The subsections of the scientific process must be clearly mentioned.
For commenting on someone’s discussion post, compare your (three) solutions with theirs and discuss which solutions do you think are more effective.
RESPOND TO THIS POST
The first step in the scientific process is asking a question. When I received the high electric bill, I asked the question, “What caused the sudden spike in my bill?”
The second step in the scientific process is to investigate the current facts. The first thing I would do is compare the electric bill with the previous statement to determine whether or not any of the charges (delivery, supply, taxes,surcharges, and billing services) had increased. I would also determine whether or not the meter was actually read or if it was an estimated reading. If it was an actual reading I would compare the kilowatt hours to determine the actual increase in use.
The third step in the scientific process is to gather any information that may help answer my question. The statement would cover the month of December. We decorated for the holidays with lights and set-up the Christmas tree on December 1. The children were off from school, and thus home all day, for two weeks. The children seem to only know how to turn lights on – but not how to turn them off.
The fourth step in the scientific process is to form a hypothesis. My scientific guess would be the sudden spike in electricity usage was a combination of holiday lights and actual increased electricity usage due to the kids being home.
The fifth step in the scientific process is to test the hypothesis with an experiment. My experiment would be to remove all of the Christmas decorations and happily send the kids back to school.
The sixth, and hopefully final, step in the scientific process is to formulate the results of the experiment. If the January electricity bill is back down to normal, I have found the problem. If the bill is still high, I would need to come up with a new hypothesis and start the process over.
Assuming the experiment works and the cause of the electricity spike was the holiday lights and extra time at home; there are several solutions to prevent the spike next December. 1) I will transition all of the lightbulbs in the house and the Christmas lights from incandescent to LED. 2) I will place the holiday lights on a timer. So, instead of leaving the lights on 24/7, they are cycled to run from dusk to midnight each day. 3) I will place the lights on motion sensors. So when the kids leave the room – the lights will shut themselves off.
