Lab 7: Personal Energy Consumption and the Carbon Footprint
Previously, in lab 2, we demonstrated our daily energy use per activities and how they contribute carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. One part being “Home and Workplace Electricity Use”, an estimated usage based on monthly energy amounts measured in kWh. Many “take this for granted” electricity always available and ready for use is true. Now ask yourself, “What did I use so far today requiring electricity, and for that matter for the rest of the day?” This looks deeper into this question by taking an inventory of what you have requiring electricity, the use/cost, and carbon dioxide emissions.
Background
Watts and kilowatts are measurements of the work being done as electric current passes through a circuit. The higher the wattage of an appliance or device, the more work is being done and the more electricity is consumed.
One kilowatt is equal to one-thousand watts. You can convert using this formula:
Watts / 1000 = Kilowatts
Electricity consumption is measured by the kilowatt-hour. This is the amount of electrical energy converted over one hour of time.
You can calculate kilowatt-hours using this formula:
Kilowatts x Time in Hours = Kilowatt-hours
