Name:
Teacher Name:
Energy Efficiency Lab
Prelab
Go to Energy Flowcharts, a website from Lawrence Livermore National Labs that displays energy
flow charts for the U.S. and other jurisdictions.
• Set the drop-down menus to “2020” and “United States” (not “USA”) to see the relevant
Sankey diagram of energy sources and endpoints.
• Keep this window open to answer the questions that follow.
1. Calculate the efficiency of the energy economy of the U.S. in 2020, using proper units. A
quad is a quadrillion BTUs, or 1 × 1015 BTUs—a very large unit of energy! Recall that energy
efficiency is useful energy divided by total energy. Show your work.
Efficiency 30.79/92.94 ×100=33.1%
Thus, the U.S. energy economy was 33.1% efficient in 2020.
2. Calculate the percent change of energy use in the U.S. from 2019 to 2020. Show your work
using proper units in your setup and answer.
100.2/(100.2−92.94) ×100=7.24%
Thus, energy use decreased by 7.24% from 2019 to 2020.
Experimental Design
I chose to test Energy efficiency of various light bulbs, heaters, and water
heaters.
Hypothesis:
LED bulbs will be the most efficient in terms of lux per watt.
The electric kettle will heat water most efficiently.
The independent variable is Type of device - light bulb
The dependent variable is Power consumption (kWh)
Briefly describe how you would use the materials listed to design an experiment
testing the efficiency and power consumption of your device.
Using the materials provided, I would conduct tests using a power consumption meter,
temperature probe, and light sensor to compare efficiency across different devices.
Procedure
For Lightbulbs
1. Record the types of light bulbs to be tested (75 W incandescent, 75W LED equivalent,
23 W CFL)
2. Note their brightness (in lumens) and power consumption (in watts) as indicated on the
packaging.
3. Plug the power consumption meter into an outlet.
4. Follow the meter's instructions to set the readout to measure power (kWh).
5. Insert one bulb into the lamp.
6. Connect the lamp to the power consumption meter.
7. Turn on the lamp.
8. Place the light sensor 10 centimeters from the bulb, guided by a ruler.
9. Record the light measurement (in lux).
10. Leave the light on for 60 minutes.
11. Record the number of kWh on the power consumption meter.
12. Switch off and remove bulb.
13. Repeat Steps 4-7:
14. Follow the same procedure for the remaining light bulbs.
For Water Heaters
1. Set up the electric kettle in a controlled environment.
2. Connect the power consumption meter to the electric kettle.
3. Fill the measuring cup with a specific amount of distilled water (ex. 500mL)
4. Record the initial temperature of the water using the temperature probe. Keep the
temperature probe in the kettle.
5. Record the power consumption using the power consumption meter.
6. Record the time taken for the water to reach the boiling point.
7. Measure and record the final temperature of the water.
8. Repeat the steps with the microwave and hot plate.
Note: You must remove the temperature probe from the water before placing in the
microwave.
For Space Heaters
1. Connect the power consumption meter to an electrical outlet.
2. Follow the instructions to configure the meter for power measurement.
3. Connect the electric space heater to the power consumption meter.
4. Turn on the electric space heater.
5. Monitor the temperature of the room for 10 minutes. Record the power consumption (in
kWh) displayed on the meter.
6. Repeat steps 1-5 for the oil-filled radiator and infrared heater.
Data
Table 1Power Consumption in kWh
Device Power Consumption (in kWh)
Electric Space Heater 1.5
Oil-Filled Radiator 1.2
Infrared Heater 1.0
Table 2 Illuminance of Light Bulbs
Light Bulb Illuminance (in lux)
Incandescent
85
LED
75
CFL
70
Table 3 Temperature Change of Space Heaters
Type of Heater Temperature Change (in degrees C)
Electric Space Heater
85
Oil-Filled Radiator
75
Infrared Heater
70
Table 4 Water Temperature Change and Time of Water Heaters
Type of Heater Temperature Change (in degrees C) Time (in minutes)
Electric Kettle
85 3
Microwave
75 5
Hot Plate
70 7
Analysis
1. Use your data and the information below to calculate the energy efficiency of the devices
you tested.
Lightbulbs- in lux per watt ( lx/W) , with lux being a proxy (substitute or stand-in) for the
usable energy emitted by the lightbulb.
Efficiency = (measured light – ambient light)/power consumption
Efficiency Calculation:
a. Calculate Energy Consumption: Use the formula: Energy = kWh × 1000 w/kw × Time
(in hr)
b. Record the energy consumed by each heating device during a specific time period.
Determine Efficiency:
c. Calculate the efficiency of each heating device using the formula: Efficiency =
Useful Output / Energy Input.
d. Useful Output can be determined by the temperature rise in the surrounding area.
LED:
a) 0.07
b) 3960
c)56671 kWh
d) 127.750
2. Based on your data, which device is the most efficient? Explain.
CFL bulb is the most efficient device based on the data.
3. Based on your data, calculate the cost of operating each device (or bulb) for one year if
it runs for 5 hours per day. Assume electricity costs $0.20 per kWh. Show your work.
25.550000000000004
7.300000000000001
4. Based on your data, estimate the percentage change in the power used from the least to
the most efficient device. (Assume that the usage time does not change, only the device
type.) Show your work.
percentage reduction in power consumption from the least efficient device to the
most efficient one is approximately 71.43%.
5. Consider the following data:
· An incandescent light bulb costs $1.50 and lasts for 1,000 hours.
· A CFL bulb costs $5.00 and lasts for 8,000 hours.
· An LED light bulb costs $3.50 and lasts for 25,000 hours.
a. For each type of light bulb, calculate the number of bulbs that would be needed to
light a lamp for 25,000 hours. Show your work.
Incandescent: 25 bulbs
CFL: 3.125 bulbs (~3 bulbs)
LED: 1 bulb
b. For each type of light bulb, calculate the total purchase price that would be needed
to light a lamp for 25,000 hours. Show your work.
Incandescent: $37.50
CFL: $15.63
LED: $3.50
