# Handout 4.4: Home Energy Audit Checklist and Sample Bill

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________ Team: ______ Zone: ______

**Directions:** Day 1: fill in Part 1 during the slides, do Part 2 with a partner and a calculator. Day 2: use the checklist in Part 3 on your zone of the classroom and again on the apartment in Part 4, rank the fixes, then read the bill in Part 5.

## Word bank in other languages

[Check with a native speaker before printing.]

| English | Turkish | Portuguese | Spanish |
|---|---|---|---|
| energy | enerji | energia | energía |
| water | su | água | agua |
| save (conserve) | tasarruf etmek | economizar (conservar) | ahorrar (conservar) |
| cost | maliyet | custo | costo |
| bill | fatura | conta | factura (recibo) |
| light bulb | ampul | lâmpada | bombilla (foco) |
| thermostat | termostat | termostato | termostato |
| leak | sızıntı | vazamento | fuga (gotera) |

## Part 1: Where it goes

**Energy in a typical home** (fill in the share as I show it)

| Use | About what share |
|---|---|
| Heating and cooling | |
| Heating water | |
| Everything else (lights, fridge, laundry, electronics, cooking) | |

**Water in a typical home**

| Use | About what share |
|---|---|
| Toilets | |
| Showers | |
| Faucets | |
| Laundry | |
| Leaks | |

Phantom load means: ______________________________________________________

Conservation means: ______________________________________________________

Efficiency means: _________________________________________________________

## Part 2: The math

Use the template every time. Watt-hours are pennies. Kilowatt-hours are dollars.

**The template**

| Step | Write it |
|---|---|
| watts x hours a day x days a year = watt-hours (Wh) | ___ x ___ x ___ = ______ Wh |
| divide by 1,000 = kilowatt-hours (kWh) | ______ Wh / 1,000 = ______ kWh |
| kWh x price per kWh = dollars | ______ x $0.25 = $______ |

**Worked with me:** a 60 W bulb, 5 hours a day, 365 days, at $0.25 per kWh.

60 x 5 x 365 = ______ Wh. Divide by 1,000 = ______ kWh. Times $0.25 = $______ a year.

The LED: 9 W. 9 x 5 x 365 = ______ Wh = ______ kWh = $______ a year. Savings for one bulb: $______

**Practice 1.** A TV is left on 6 hours a day. It uses 100 W. Price $0.25 per kWh. Cost for a year?

______ x ______ x 365 = ______ Wh = ______ kWh = $______

**Practice 2.** A game console in standby draws 15 W all day, 24 hours, 365 days. Cost for a year at $0.25?

______ x ______ x 365 = ______ Wh = ______ kWh = $______

**Practice 3.** A faucet drips once a second. That is about 5 gallons a day. Gallons in a year? A bathtub holds about 60 gallons. How many bathtubs?

5 x 365 = ______ gallons. ______ / 60 = about ______ bathtubs.

**Thermostat.** Each degree you set back for 8 hours saves about 1 percent of the heating bill. A family heats for $1,800 a year and sets back 7 degrees at night. Savings: 7 percent of $1,800 = $______

## Part 3: The audit checklist

Score every line: OK, Fix (free), or Fix ($). Use this on your classroom zone (Day 2, Step 1).

| Line | What to look for | OK | Fix (free) | Fix ($) | What exactly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lights 1 | Lights on where nobody is | | | | |
| Lights 2 | Bulbs are LED (check the label or the shape) | | | | |
| Phantom 1 | Chargers plugged in with nothing attached | | | | |
| Phantom 2 | Screens, consoles, printers on standby | | | | |
| Heat 1 | Thermostat setting (write it if you can read it) | | | | |
| Heat 2 | Windows or doors open while heat or AC runs | | | | |
| Heat 3 | Vents or radiators blocked by furniture | | | | |
| Heat 4 | Drafts at doors and windows (hold a hand near the edge) | | | | |
| Water 1 | Any faucet dripping | | | | |
| Water 2 | Toilet running (listen) | | | | |
| Appliance 1 | Fridge door seal holds a sheet of paper | | | | |
| Appliance 2 | Dishwasher or laundry run only when full | | | | |

The planted waste in our zone was: ______________________________

## Part 4: Audit the apartment

**The Marchetti-Oyelaran apartment.** Two adults and one child, age 8, in a rented two-bedroom apartment. The landlord pays for heat. The family pays for electricity and hot water.

**Living room.** The TV is on all day for the dog. A cable box and a game console are on standby under it. Three lamps have the old round bulbs that get hot. A window air conditioner is still in the window in January with a towel stuffed around it. The couch sits in front of the radiator.

**Kitchen.** The refrigerator door has a torn seal at the bottom; a sheet of paper slides out. The dishwasher is run every night, half full. The faucet drips about once a second. The microwave clock is on. The range hood light is on all day.

**Bathroom.** The shower runs about 15 minutes per person, three people a day. The showerhead is the original from when the building was built. The toilet runs for a minute after each flush, then stops.

**Bedrooms.** Two phone chargers and a laptop charger stay plugged in with nothing attached. A space heater runs in the child's room all night with the window cracked open "for fresh air." A lamp with an old bulb is on in the empty adult bedroom while everyone is in the living room.

Score the apartment on the same twelve lines:

| Line | OK | Fix (free) | Fix ($) | What exactly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lights 1 | | | | |
| Lights 2 | | | | |
| Phantom 1 | | | | |
| Phantom 2 | | | | |
| Heat 1 | | | | |
| Heat 2 | | | | |
| Heat 3 | | | | |
| Heat 4 | | | | |
| Water 1 | | | | |
| Water 2 | | | | |
| Appliance 1 | | | | |
| Appliance 2 | | | | |

### Rank the fixes

Twelve fixes with a cost and an estimated saving per year. Cross out the two that cost more than $50. Rank the other ten by savings, highest first. For the three that cost money, compute payback: cost divided by savings = years.

| Fix | Cost | Saves per year (estimate) | Rank | Payback (years) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turn off lights in empty rooms | $0 | $20 | | |
| Unplug the chargers and put the TV, cable box, and console on a power strip you switch off | $20 (strip) | $50 | | |
| Swap the ten old bulbs for LEDs | $30 | $230 | | |
| Set the thermostat back 7 degrees at night (in a home that pays for heat) | $0 | $125 | | |
| Cut showers from 15 minutes to 8 (three people) | $0 | $150 | | |
| Fix the dripping faucet (a new washer) | $2 | $15 | | |
| Low-flow showerhead | $15 | $70 | | |
| Wash laundry in cold water | $0 | $60 | | |
| Weatherstrip the drafty window and door | $25 | $80 | | |
| Run the dishwasher only when full | $0 | $30 | | |
| Programmable thermostat | $80 | $150 | | |
| New refrigerator with a good seal | $900 | $90 | | |

Why the top three are the top three:

1. _______________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________

Which fixes should the landlord pay for, and which the family? Why? _____________________________________

## Part 5: Read a sample electric bill

**Sample electric bill, one month (made up for class)**

| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Electricity used this month | 650 kWh |
| Supply charge: 650 kWh x $0.12 | $78.00 |
| Delivery charge: 650 kWh x $0.13 | $84.50 |
| Basic service charge (fixed, every month) | $18.00 |
| **Total due** | **$180.50** |

1. Circle the kWh used. Circle the total.
2. Supply plus delivery is the price per kWh: $0.12 + $0.13 = $______ per kWh.
3. Which charge stays the same even if you use zero electricity? ______________
4. If this family swaps ten old bulbs for LEDs and saves about $230 a year, about how much lower is next month's bill? $230 / 12 = about $______

* * *

## Teacher key

**Part 1:** Heating and cooling about half; water heating about a fifth; everything else about a third. Toilets about a quarter (24 percent); showers a fifth (20); faucets a fifth (19); laundry a sixth (17); leaks about a tenth (12). Phantom load: power a device draws while "off" or in standby. Conservation: using less of a resource on purpose so it lasts. Efficiency: getting the same result with less.

**Part 2:** Worked: 60 x 5 x 365 = 109,500 Wh = 109.5 kWh = $27.38. LED: 16,425 Wh = 16.4 kWh = $4.11. Savings $23.27 (accept $23). Practice 1: 100 x 6 x 365 = 219,000 Wh = 219 kWh = $54.75. Practice 2: 15 x 24 x 365 = 131,400 Wh = 131.4 kWh = $32.85. Practice 3: 1,825 gallons; about 30 bathtubs. Thermostat: $126.

**Part 3, classroom:** answers depend on the room and the planted wastes. [Sal: list your planted wastes here before Day 2 so the check is fast.]

**Part 4, apartment:** Lights 1: Fix (free), the bedroom lamp and the range hood light. Lights 2: Fix ($), ten old bulbs. Phantom 1: Fix (free), three chargers. Phantom 2: Fix (free or $20 strip), cable box and console, and the TV for the dog. Heat 1: cannot read it; landlord's heat. Heat 2: Fix (free), the child's window open with the heater on. Heat 3: Fix (free), the couch on the radiator. Heat 4: Fix ($), the AC in the window in January; take it out or seal it, weatherstrip. Water 1: Fix ($2), the drip. Water 2: Fix (free to $8), the toilet runs a minute, check the flapper. Appliance 1: Fix ($), the torn seal (a new gasket is about $50, a new fridge is the landlord's). Appliance 2: Fix (free), the half-full dishwasher.

**Ranking (the ten under $50, by savings):** 1. LED swap $230 (payback 0.13 years, about 7 weeks). 2. Shorter showers $150. 3. Thermostat setback $125 (but this family does not pay for heat, so a good answer notes it saves the landlord, not them). 4. Weatherstrip $80 (payback 0.3 years). 5. Low-flow showerhead $70 (payback 0.2 years). 6. Cold laundry $60. 7. Power strip $50 (payback 0.4 years). 8. Dishwasher full $30. 9. Lights off $20. 10. Faucet washer $15 (payback 0.13 years). Crossed out: programmable thermostat ($80, and the landlord's heat) and the new refrigerator ($900). Landlord: the fridge seal, the thermostat, the window unit removal; family: bulbs, strips, showers, laundry, dishwasher, the faucet washer if the landlord is slow.

**Part 5:** 650 kWh; $180.50; $0.25 per kWh; the basic service charge; about $19.