Analyzing Australian Household Greenhouse Gas Emission Sources

This project analyzes the greenhouse gas emissions of an Australian household, evaluating sources like transport, heating and cooling, hot water, lighting, refrigeration, cooking, and other appliances. The analysis compares the household's emissions to typical and green household standards, identifying areas for improvement. Recommendations are provided, including reducing vehicle numbers, using alternative fuels, upgrading heating and cooling systems, and adopting energy-efficient appliances. The project demonstrates the impact of various household activities on greenhouse gas emissions and suggests practical strategies for reducing the carbon footprint, with the goal of promoting sustainable living. The analysis includes calculations of emissions before and after implementing recommendations. Finally, it concludes with a call to embrace sustainability in all aspects of life, from appliances to transportation, highlighting that sustainability is a composition of many small changes that contribute to a larger positive impact on the environment.

Australian Household’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions 1
AUSTRALIAN HOUSEHOLD’S GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
By (Name)
Course
Professor’s name
University name
City, State
Date of submission

Australian Household’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2
Introduction
Daily activities in every household lead to the emission of greenhouse gases from burning gasoline, driving, burning gases or oil or
consuming electricity generated from natural gas, coal and oil (Akter & Bennett, 2011). The greenhouse gas emission is also
depended on the number of persons in the house, the location, personal choices and their habits. Analysis done on the Australian
household shows that they produce a lot of greenhouse gases which largely come from transport of wastes, heating and cooling,
(Akter & Bennett, 2011). These families can reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by reducing their energy bills hence
saving money in the process.

Australian Household’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions 3
TRANSPORT
The image below shows the greenhouse emissions emitted from the existing house.
The household has 4 small cars that travel 15000 km annually using typical Petrol to drive to work in different offices at Melbourne
CBD even though the offices can be accessed easily by public transport.
This results to 15.100 (top left corner of the screenshot) tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions as shown above. This is above typical
household gas emissions as well as green household emissions. This calls for drastic measures to be undertaken to reduce the emissions
for more sustainable living.

Australian Household’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions 4
Recommendations
1. Reduce numbers of vehicle in each household from 4 to 2 cars to cut down on the emissions, and it can still serve well a household
of 4 people.
2. Alternative fuels can be used in place of petrol to help reduce gas emissions. There are more sustainable fuels that can be used that
are friendlier to the environment. Petrol is replaced with Diesel in this case.
3. The car model is updated from an old 2003 car to a 2015 model with more sustainable technologies.
4. A strong hybrid drivetrain is preferred compared to an automated car.
5. The annual distance covered by the 2 personal cars is also reduced from 15000 to 10000.
6. Alternative transport means can be used, such as bicycles for short distances, since they use no fuel, while public transport can be
opted for longer distances.
When all the above recommendations are done, the following results are as follows.

Australian Household’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions 5
Significantly less emissions when recommendations are implemented.

Australian Household’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions 6
AIRTRAVEL
This household only travels once an year and as a result only 0.106
Recommendations
Since the greenhouse gas emissions produced during their air travel are even less than what is recommended for green households, the
household can be deemed as sustainable in terms of air travel.

Australian Household’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions 7
HEATING AND COOLING
The floor and roof
Below shows how the floor and roof contribute to greenhouse emissions during heating and cooling.
Recommendations
No further recommendations are made to the building materials but rather to the heating and cooling systems as discussed below.
Household Heating system
The household heating system is natural gas fueled system that is old (Chan et al., 2011). The duct condition is poor and has not
been maintained over a period of time. The heating system runs on daily basis in winter from 6 pm to 12 am to keep the sleeping
chambers and living room areas warm even though everyone stays in the Living room from 6 pm to 10 pm before going to sleeping
chambers. The thermostat is set at 20_C. This has resulted in very high greenhouse gas emissions,

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Recommendations
 A different type of heating system is preferred for lower emissions. A low emission wood heater is preferred to the natural gas
flued.
 A more updated heating system, with a higher green energy rating should be used. Up to date system are built to be more
sustainable and cause less harm to the environment. The rating of this system is raised from a 1 star to a 5 star.

Australian Household’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions 9
 Testing and inspections of the ducts should be done more frequently and regurlarly.to ensures it works properly and it is highly
efficient.
 Since everyone is at the living room between 6-10pm, the heating system at the bedrooms should be turned off at this time and
switched on at 30 minutes before everyone goes to bed. This will lead to overall less gas emissions.
Below are the emissions after implementations of the recommendations
HOUSEHOLD COOLING SYSTEM

Australian Household’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions 10
The household cooling system is non-ducted air-conditioner which is also very old.it is works for two hours during both daytime
and at night to cool down the sleeping chambers and Living room areas during summer.
Recommendations
 An up-to date system should be used for cooling with a very high star ratting. This will ensure more environmental conscious
system is being used as opposed to the 1 star rated system.
 A ducted, well insulated system in good condition should be installed.
Below are the emissions after implementations of the recommendations

Australian Household’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions 11
HOUSEHOLD HOT WATER SYSTEM
The household hot water system uses electricity and has no solar boost. Below shows calculations of its greenhouse gas

Australian Household’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions 12
Recommendations
Solar as a renewable source of energy should be used to provide hot water to this household. Solar boost should be raised to 100% to
achieve the results shown below.