Energy and Water Exploration
Energy and Water Usage Exploration
For two weeks I decided to track down what I use of water and energy on and here are the results:
Through this I discovered that most of the water usage comes from washing hands, drinking water and flushing the toilet. About 1,000 gallons of water are used throughout the week and this is only including myself. Next, for energy use the refrigerator is what takes most of the usage as it is on all day to maintain food good. Summing up all the energy I use throughout a week it is 58.9 kWh. Although we don’t realize it, we tend to use a lot of energy and water in an inconsistent way which needs to be changed.
6 Ways we can reduce Energy and Water Usage
Some ways we can conserve energy is by:
1.Using Energy-Efficient Lighting
- Replacing bulbs with LED or CFL lights, motion sensors light
2.Stable use of Heating and Cooling Systems
3.Improving Sealing and Insulation
- Reduces the need of a heater and cooler
4.Using Energy Efficient Appliance
5.Implementing Systems that Manage Energy
6. Spreading awareness
These are all ways that we can reduce the use of energy and use it appropriately and when needed only.
Some ways we can conserve water are:
- Installing Water-Efficient Fixtures
2. Fixing and Managing Leeks Properly
3.Optimizing Irrigation Systems
4.Using Water-Saving Appliances
5.Reduce Irrigation and Recycle Water
6. Spread Awareness
Although these changes might not seem like they might help a lot, it is one of the easiest ways to reduce energy and could definitely have a big effect on the savings of water and energy if everyone took it into consideration.
Equity Report Data
For my exploration, I decided to do an equity report on the zip code I am located in which is 92084. In this area there are approximately 50,000 residents and many distributions between races and ethnicities. For the most part there is an appropriate air quality for the residents and the water quality seems to be acceptable for the residents living here. Overall the city does a good job involving and spreading awareness through schools and the community about pollution. In addition, I decided to dive deeper into the electricity and water usage among the community and divide it by sectors.
Through these graphs we can see that Residential is the highest category of all. Commerciality seems to be lower for water usage than electricity usage. Industrial seems to be higher for water usage than electricity and agricultural seems to be higher for water usage than electricity usage. Through this comparison we can see how the resources are consumed differently across the different sectors.
Powerville High School Exploration
Furthermore, I decided to take interest in exploring a High School and the way they manage their water and energy sources. I made some graphs that show the cost and usage of energy, electricity and gas.
Based on these charts we can identify that the most efficient energy usage is the buildings because it has a stable consumption pattern. Since there is a consistency in electricity and gas this shows that the buildings are using gas and electricity efficiently without any fluctuations, meaning they have effective energy practices. I believe the least efficient area is the outdoor lighting due to the constant energy usage throughout the months. This suggests that there is wastage of energy since the lighting might not be optimized for daylight hours or seasonal variations. Also the water usage shows high levels which means that there isn’t an efficient water conservation practice.
Some recommendations I would give is to implement more efficient lighting systems for the outdoor areas. Some examples of this could be LED lights that have motion sensors and can reduce when not in use. Another recommendation is to promote awareness about the conservation of water to staff and students and to prevent leaks and anything that can prevent exceed water usage.
Powerville District Exploration
To extend this research I decided to explore the Powerville District. Here are some of the graphs:
Based on the graphs we can identify that the most efficient area of the Powerville district is the energy cost percentage which appears to remain stable, meaning that there is efficient cost management throughout the district. Additionally, the buildings seem to have a consistent energy consumption pattern which shows they effectively use energy and there isn’t a significant waste. The least efficient areas of the Powerville District is the electricity consumption for outdoor lighting because in one of the months it shows the lack of lighting management as it is high compared to the other months, This could be due to an inefficient light management and system. In addition, gas consumption seems to have a variation which can indicate inconsistent and inefficient usage in the schools.
Some possible solutions are monitoring the energy consumption which can prevent a high usage of energy. Another solution would be establishing more efficient energy and water systems in order to reduce the overuse of them.
Career in Water Sector
Water resources Engineer involves planning, developing and managing water resources in order for everyone to appropriately distribute everyone needs such as agricultural and industrial purposes. Water resources Engineers tend to work closely with environmental scientists and public agencies in order to meet the needs of the people all while having environmental sustainability.
An example of a Water Resource Engineer is Dr. Greg Characklis who specializes in environmental engineering and economics and makes sure water sources are managed efficiently. One of his most recent projects is the Water Scarcity management which Dr. Characklis has been involved in and it aims to improve strategies on water conservation and allocation. Thanks to his research it helps optimize water in different sectors and also ensure sustainable supply while reducing negative economic impacts. Dr. Characklis does a great job in addressing global water challenges and has brought many solutions to the surface to maintain sustainability.
Conclusion
Overall, I learned that many small and sustainable changes can have a huge impact in achieving sustainability and efficiency use with energy and water.
In the video below I will explain the knowledge that I learned throughout this internship.
Internship Video
Overall, I am happy I was able to be part of this internship and able to become a person who is aware of how to achieve sustainable water and energy use.