Summary
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Abstract
Has your house (or one of your friend's houses) been remodeled recently? Were any improvements made for energy efficiency (solar systems, better insulation, passive solar heating, better lighting)? Compare your family's energy costs for a similar time period before and after the remodeling (remember that energy usage often varies seasonally). Monthly bills often have a bar graph showing energy usage for the previous 12 months. You may also be able to get information on past energy usage through your electric company's website. Ask your parents for help to access the online records. Did the improvements save you money? Analyze the cost of the remodeling work that was specific to energy efficiency (for example, if your house got a new roof, and insulation was added, find out what was the extra cost for the insulation, don't use the entire cost of the roof). Calculate how long it will take for the energy savings to pay for the improvements.
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Careers
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How much energy do you think all the houses and buildings in the United States consume? It turns out they eat up 40% of all the energy that the U.S. uses in a year. The figure is high because all those houses and buildings need to be heated, cooled, lit, ventilated, and supplied with heated water and electricity to run all sorts of electrical devices, appliances, and computers. Energy efficiency engineers help reduce the energy that houses and buildings use. This saves families and businesses…
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Every country has resources—people, land, raw materials, capital, and machinery—and economists study how those resources are distributed to create the goods that people buy, and the services people need or want. In their studies, economists monitor economic trends and collect data on things like energy costs, inflation, interest rates, exchange rates, business cycles, taxes, and employment levels. Based on their analysis of this data, they develop forecasts of economic activity so…
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Houses are made up of walls, doors, windows, ducts, and attics. Our lives are centered around the rooms where we eat, sleep, and spend time with our friends and family. But, while walls, doors, windows, and ducts shelter us, they can also cost money in wasted energy. If any of these things "leak"—if they are not sealed tight or insulated—your house can be subject to changes in the weather, becoming too hot in summer or too cold in winter. In either case, keeping a "leaky" house…
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Would you like knowing that what you do every day helps the environment and saves money? Well, that is what solar photovoltaic installers do. They outfit buildings and large solar energy farms with photovoltaic systems that convert free sunlight into clean and renewable energy. This is an exciting, emerging field that will enable you to combine a passion for the environment with mechanical and electrical skills.
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Related Links
- Science Fair Project Guide
- Other Ideas Like This
- Environmental Engineering Project Ideas
- My Favorites
Cite This Page
General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.MLA Style
Science Buddies Staff.
"Remodeling and Energy Efficiency." Science Buddies,
20 Nov. 2020,
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/EnvEng_p017/environmental-engineering/remodeling-and-energy-efficiency.
Accessed 7 June 2023.
APA Style
Science Buddies Staff.
(2020, November 20).
Remodeling and Energy Efficiency.
Retrieved from
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/EnvEng_p017/environmental-engineering/remodeling-and-energy-efficiency
Last edit date: 2020-11-20
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