Environmental Science: Sustainable Home Creation Worksheet Analysis

This assignment presents a student's plan for creating a more sustainable home, addressing various aspects of home living. The student describes their current two-level, 900-square-foot home, detailing the living room, kitchen, dining room, bathrooms, laundry room, and bedrooms. The assignment outlines future improvements, including installing a tankless water heater and energy-efficient appliances, as well as potentially incorporating solar panels. The student describes the home's location in a suburban area of Alexandria, Minnesota, and discusses the climate and geography. The analysis identifies existing materials like the water heater, furnace, and appliances, and proposes upgrades for sustainability. The assignment further explores energy consumption, identifying the fridge, TV, and washing machine as high-energy users and suggests ways to reduce energy use. Water consumption is also addressed, with showers, washing machines, and kitchen sinks identified as significant water users, along with proposed water-saving measures. The student cites references to support their analysis. This assignment provides a practical approach to sustainable living and offers actionable strategies for reducing environmental impact.

SUSTAINABLE HOME CREATION
Current Future Improvements
Described your indoor living
space (i.e., square feet)
My current home is a two-level building of 900
square feet consisting of a living room, a
kitchen, a dining room, two bathrooms, a
laundry room, and four bedrooms. So far, we
have done less in having a sustainable home.
There are lots of activities I intend to carry out in
the future as far as having a sustainable home is
concerned. First, I will install a water heater
(tankless) and acquire electric appliances all
labeled with energy star to regulate energy
consumption. I also intend to install doors and
windows with efficient energy and solar panels if
in case it will be allowed in the village.
Describe the location of your
home and why it would be
the best for you. Make sure
to address: climate,
geography, rural/urban/or
suburban.
I live in the east suburb of Alexandria city in
Minnesota, just immediately outside of the
city. The topography of the area is a relatively
steep slope with favorable climatic conditions
of four seasons – spring, autumn, summer, and
winter. Summer and winter at times may be
unfavorable due to hot temperatures and excess
cold snow, respectively, spring and autumn are
the best seasons to enjoy. The suburban area is
accessible to various transport services as of
now.
I look forward to relocating to the central city of
Alexandria soon. Although I may not be sure
about the future outlook of the city, am convinced
that the city will be more accessible to major
transportation systems and shopping centers
compared to the suburb.
3 materials in your home and
how they can be more
sustainable.
1) water heater
2) furnace
3) appliances
. The water heater is less efficient since it is at
least five years old while my furnace is the
original one and need a replacement. All the
appliances do not have an energy star, and they
are old as well.
I intend to improve these materials by installing
new ones, i.e., appliances labeled with energy
stars and a tank-less water heater.
Energy use What are 3 things that use the most energy in
your home?
1) the fridge
2) TV
3) washing machine
How can you decrease your energy consumption?
I will replace the old model fridge with the new
energy-saving model. When no one is in the room,
the TV should be switched off. Instead of waiting
for a full load washing, whenever there is anything
that needs to be washed, instant washing should be
done. The measures will go a long way in not only
ensuring home sustainability but also cost
reduction in monthly bills.
Water use What are 3 things that use the most water in
your home?
1) Showers
2) washing machine
3) kitchen sink
How can you decrease your water consumption?
I intend to minimize water wastage so as to save
on cost and for home sustainability. Currently
showering time is about 20 to 30 minutes per turn,
which I intend to reduce to at most 10 minutes.
Washing is done on full load as opposed to single
washing. Concerning the sink, I will reduce the
amount of running water, unlike what I currently
do.

Reference
Baker et al. (2013). Climate of Minnesota.
Darby & Sarah. (2006). The Effectiveness of Feedback on Energy Consumption. A Review For DEFRA of the Literature on Metering,
Billing, and direct Displays, 26.
Jorgensen, Graymore, & O'Toole. (2009). Household water use behaviour: An intergrated model. Journal of Environmental
Management, 91 , 227-236.