UNIVERISTY OF THE WITWATERSRAND

SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL AND METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING

Course Code

ELEN 2000

Course Name

Introduction to Circuits

Assignment Details

Energy Audit

Assignment Due Date

14 September 2016

Student Name

Waseem Ahmed Patel

Student Number

1057030

Declaration for Individual Work

I am aware that plagiarism (the use of someone elses work without their permission
and/ or without acknowledging the original source) is wrong.
I confirm that the work submitted for assessment for the above course is my own
unaided work.
I have followed the required conventions in referencing the thoughts and ideas of
others.
I understand that the University of the Witwatersrand may take disciplinary action
against me if there is a belief that this is not my own unaided work or that I have
failed to acknowledge the source of the ideas or words in my writing.

Signature: W.A. Patel

BACKGROUND
The following energy audit was conducted on the 23 rd of August 2016. The home chosen for
the energy audit was my own. It is situated in Lenasia, Extension 1. The size of the plot is
1000m2. It is the first extension of the town that was built and as such shares a power-grid
with the military base and train station. Due to this, we experience less load shedding
compared to the other twelve extensions. The home is occupied for 24hours a day and the
maximum number of occupants is 4. For majority of the day the number of occupants are two
and rises to 4 after 5pm.

AUDIT
LIGHTING
The building consists of 19 rooms including a total of 42 light bulbs; of which there is 1 daynight sensor light bulb, 29 compact fluorescent or energy-saver light bulbs and 12
incandescent light bulbs.
Energy Consumption
The compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) wattage ranges from 11W to 15W and one CFL
has a wattage of 27W. The average wattage is between 12.47W ~ 12.5W. The CFLs energy
consumption is calculated as follows:
CFL=29light bulbs 12.5 W

1 KW
7.5 ( average ) hours a day 30 days=81.56 KWh per month
1000 W

The day-night light bulb has a wattage of 15W and is equipped with a photo-sensitive sensor.
Using the same method as above to calculate the energy used by the CFLs, it is found that a
day-night light bulb consumes 5.4 KWh per month.
The 12 incandescent light bulbs have a wattage of 60W, which is also the average wattage for
the incandescent light bulbs. Using the same method as in the previous two calculations, it is
established that the 12 incandescent light bulbs use 43.2 KWh per month.

HEATING AND COOLING

There are no air-conditioning units in the building. During winter heating is provided by
under-floor heating in the 3 bedrooms, the kitchen and the office space. During summer only
one floor fan is used occasionally in one room. The underfloor heating has a wattage of 250W
per square meter and the fan has a wattage of 100W.
Energy consumption
For the underfloor heating:
Underfloor Heating=

250W
1 KW
( 20 m2 +16 m2 +16 m2+25 m2 +18 m2)
24 hours 30 days
2
1000
W
1m

 600 KWh per monthWinter

For the floor fan:
Floor Fan=100W

1 KW
2 hours 10 days
1000 W

2 KWh per monthSummer

WATER
The building has two large geysers rated at 2500W each. One geyser feeds hot water to two
showers and 3 basins. The second geyser feeds hot water to a shower and a basin as well as
the taps in the kitchen.
Energy Consumption
Geyser=2 2500 W

1 KW
2 hours 30 days
1000 W

450 KWh per month

APPLIANCES
The building has a total of 38 appliances that are used on a regular basis. The appliances are
divided into three categories according to their mode of operation. Category 1 appliances run
continuously, category 2 appliances are used more frequently throughout the week and
category 3 appliances are used intermittently for short periods of time.
Appliances that form part of category 1 include the fridge, freezer, Wi-Fi router and the
alarm. Category two appliances consist of cell phone chargers, laptop chargers, televisions,
DVD players, the radio, hair straighteners, an Xbox console, microwave oven, washing
machine, stove and a pool pump. The final category includes appliances such as the garage
door, hairdryer, printer, toaster, blender and oven.
Energy Consumption
Category One:
Total Amount of Watts=500W +500W +50W +50 W =1100 W

Category 1=1100 W
792 KWh per month

1 KW
24 hours 30 days
1000 W

Category Two:
This category is broken down into two sub categories namely, high wattage and low wattage
appliances. It is assumed that appliances with a power rating greater than 500W, are
considered to be high wattage appliances.
For high wattage appliances:
Total Amount of Watts=1000W + 3000W +3000W +2000 W =9000W
Category 2,high=900 0W

1 KW
2 hours 30 days
1000 W

540 KWh per month

For low wattage appliances:

Total Amount of Watts=2 ( 130 W ) +5 ( 10 W ) +3 ( 50 W ) +50 W +50 W +66 W +250 W =876 W
Category 2,low=876W

1 KW
2 hours 30 days=52.56 KWh per month
1000 W

Category Three:
Category 3 is also subdivided into high wattage and low wattage appliances.
For high wattage appliances:
Total Amount of Watts=2000W +2000 W +1200 W +750 W =5950 W

Category 3,high=5950 W

1 KW
0.08333 hours 30 days=14.874 KWh per month
1000 W

For low wattage appliances:

Total Amount of Watts=400 W +120 W =520W
Category 3,low=520 W

1 KW
0.08333 hours 30 days=1.299 KWh per month
1000 W

Other appliances including the drill, electric whisk, angle grinder, grinder and other small
appliances are used so infrequently that their energy consumption does not affect the
calculations and their energy consumption can therefore be ignored.

COST OF ELECTRICITY USED

The first step is to calculate the average tariff, factoring in the peak and off peak tariff as well
as the high and low demand seasons (Winter and Summer respectively) in order to simplify
calculations.

Low demand season (LDS) tariff:

LDS=( used during peak hours peak hour rate ) + ( used during off peak hours off peak rate )
( 60 104.08 c ) + ( 40 45.78 c )
81 c R 0.81 per KWh
High demand season (HDS) tariff:
HDS=( used during peak hours peak hour rate )+ ( used during off peak hours off peak rate )
( 60 317.18 c ) + ( 40 52.76 c )
211 c R 2.11 c per KWh

Total cost of energy consumed during a month in low demand season:

Total Cost for LDS=

R 0.81
( 81.56+5.4 +43.2+2+ 450+792+540+52.56+14.877+1.299 ) KWh=R 1606.14
kwh

Total cost of energy consumed during a month in high demand season:

Total Cost for HDS=

R 2.11
( 81.56+5.4 +43.2+600+ 450+792+540+52.56+14.877+1.299 ) KWh=R 5445
kwh

Using a similar calculation to the above, the running costs for the various appliances are as
follows:

Geysers used for 2 hours a day are R364.50 per month during LDS and R949.50
during HDS.
Underfloor heating in winter is R1266.00.
Lighting is R105.79 during LDS and R275.27 during HDS.
Category 1 appliances are R641.52 during LDS and R1671.12 during HDS.
Category 2 appliances are R479.97 during LDS and R1250.30 during HDS.
Category 3 appliances are during R13.10 LDS and R34.13 during HDS.

ADDITIONAL CALCULATIONS
1. The following calculation quantifies the efficiency of CFLs compared to incandescent
light bulbs:

CFL efficiency=

6012.5
10 0
60

 79 more efficienthanincandescent bulbs

2. The following calculation quantifies the decrease in energy spent on heating and
cooling in summer months:
of energy consumed=

600 KWh2 KWh

100=99 less energy consumedsummer for heating
600 KWh

ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The building consists of 42 light bulbs of which only 29 are compact fluorescent light bulbs.
The 29 CFLs use a total of 81.56 KWh (2.81 KWh each) in a single month as compared to
the 43.2 KWh (3.6 KWh each) consumed by the 12 incandescent light bulbs. The difference
between the energy consumption of each bulb illustrates that CFLs should be used in
households in order to save electricity. The incandescent light bulbs are placed in rooms that
arent used extensively during the evening like the garage and the office. They are used for
approximately 2 hours a day on average, whereas the CFLs are used for approximately 7.5
hours a day. This is a good practice to place incandescent light bulbs in rooms that arent
extensively used but ideally they should be replaced with CFLs which are 79% more
efficient as be seen by equation one in additional calculations.
The use of a day-night light bulb equipped with a photosensitive sensor placed in the drive
way minimises wastage because it switches off as soon as it is dusk as compared to it being
switched off manually at 7 am or 8am when an occupant wakes up. The cost of replacing the
incandescent light bulbs is approximately R1080 at R90 a globe, resulting in a saving of
R78.22 during HDS. CFLs have an average life-span of 8000 hours whereas incandescent
light bulbs only have a life-span of 1200 hours. The most efficient option would be using
LED lighting which uses only 8 watts and has a life-span of 50 000 hours. It should be noted
that the availability of this lighting tends to be problematic.
The building has no air-conditioning units and all cooling is performed by a single 100W fan.
The house is built with double layer brick walls with a large air-cavity between the two
layers. Air is a very good insulator and has a very low thermal conductivity constant. This
layer of air keeps the house warm during winter by trapping heat in and keeps it cool during
summer by keeping heat out. There are also 5 sliding doors as well as large windows that are
left open during summer to allow any breeze to provide natural ventilation.
During the winter months the house is kept warm by underfloor heating. A total of 95m 2 are
heated using the under floor heating. This leads to large amounts of energy being consumed
during this time period. During the summer months this consumption is much lower. This
finding can be proven by looking at equation 2 in additional calculations.

The building has six points at which hot water is delivered. There are only four occupants in
the house and as a result the approximate total time spent bathing is about 45 minutes a day.
This is the sum of the amount of time each bath is used, therefore the approximate time spent

bathing is 11.25 minutes per person. This amount of time is not astronomically high but
should be reduced to less than ten minutes to save electricity and water. Hot water is also
used for washing dishes and for occasionally washing hands. Dishes are washed by hand in
two 4 litre sinks which is more energy efficient then a dishwasher that uses 1200W. The
remainder of the time the geyser runs is the time it takes to keep the water hot. To minimise
thermal energy transfer the geyser blanket should be replaced with a new more efficient
insulating one. Hot water pipes should also be given additional insulation to minimise heat
transfer, therefore lessoning the energy consumed by the geyser to keep the water at
temperature. Switching the geyser on when needed and off when not needed consumes more
energy as per the lab report referenced in the appendix. The geysers were installed in 1987
and naturally have developed inefficiencies with time, replacing them with newer more
energy efficient ones like One Energy geysers that use solar panels for preheating. The best
option would be to replace the geysers with solar geysers. They are more efficient at heating
and use a renewable energy source that is sunlight.
Appliances in category one run 24 hours a day. Switching these appliances off will impede
their performance. If we were to consider a freezer for example; what would happen to the
food if it were to be switched off. The only option would be replacing them with more energy
efficient models which can be expensive, therefore it cannot really be considered as a
solution. Category three appliances are not a major concern because of their low energy
consumption. However, category two appliances are of concern and the usage of high wattage
appliances should be reduced if possible especially during peak hour consumption periods.
An example of such an occurrence would be to replace the electric stove with a gas powered
one. If these suggestions are implemented especially during HDS, we can expect to see an
average of 30% reduction in the monthly bill. This is a saving of R481.84 during LDS and
R1633.71 during HDS.

References
1. Tariffs information obtained from:
2016/17 Tariffs and charges. (n.d.). Retrieved September 11, 2016, from
http://www.eskom.co.za/CustomerCare/TariffsAndCharges/Pages/Tariffs_An
d_Charges.aspx
2. Lighting cost information
Lighting And Accessories. (n.d.). Retrieved September 11, 2016, from
http://www.game.co.za/diy-paint-auto/lighting-and-accessories.html?p=14