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Summary: Develop an energy conservation design that reduces home electricity and natural gas usage for two weeks, from Thursday, November 12, 2020 to Wednesday, November 25, 2020.

Details:

A) Watch a Green Ninja video (3 minutes) about home energy conservation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeYOZgbgG1Q

B) Develop a problem statement that you are trying to solve. What is the problem you are trying to address?  

C) Brainstorm to develop a list of possible solutions. First, think about the rooms in your house/apartment and evaluate energy usage in each room. Where can you make energy savings? Start with the obvious (e.g., changing light bulbs from incandescent to compact fluorescent, unplugging electronics when not in use) but broaden to include changing the design of your home (e.g., how and when people cook or watch TV). Then, think about the tradeoffs for each. For a list of ways to reduce energy usage, see the “Energy Saving Tips” tab under “Save Energy & Money” on your PG&E account.

D) Develop a plan for how you will save energy in your home. In the description of your plan, estimate how much electricity, natural gas, and emissions (in units of kWh, Therms, and lbs of CO2, respectively) you expect to save over the 2-week period with these reductions. Take into account your energy usage over the baseline period. Note that 0.524 lbs of CO2 are emitted per kWh of electricity used, with 13.446 lbs of CO2 emitted per Therm of natural gas used.

To Submit: Describe your Energy Conservation Design (B, C, and D) in 250 words.