Syllabus
Term: Fall 2017
Course Title: Home Energy Basics
Dept. & Number: ENVI 120
Credits: 1
Prerequisites: None
Location: Online
Instructor: Dr. Tom Marsik
Office Location: UAF Bristol Bay Campus, Room 117
Office Hours: By Appointment
Phone: 907-842-5109
Email: tmarsik@alaska.edu
Required Text
1) Energy Savers Tips for Alaska, 3rd Edition, SWAMC/AEA/AHFC/ABSN, 2014. Available free online at http://www.ahfc.us/files/4713/9327/8963/energy_saver_tips_2014.pdf
2) Chapter 2 (Building Science Basics) of Alaska Residential Building Manual by Rich Seifert et al., UAF Cooperative Extension Service, 2008. Available free online at http://www.ahfc.us/files/2813/5716/1325/building_manual.pdf
3) Renewable Energy Atlas of Alaska, AEA/REAP, 2016. Available free online at http://alaskarenewableenergy.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/RenewableEnergy-Atlas-of-Alaska-2016April.pdf
Course Description
Basics of space heating and electricity use and production for Alaskan homes. Main topics include fundamentals of physics related to home energy, lighting and appliances, energy bills, building science, retrofits, home renewable energy systems. Course emphasizes how to decrease fossil fuel consumption of homes.
Course Goals
The general goals of this course are to provide education that will help students understand energy flows in a home and make educated decisions regarding home energy use and production.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Recognize basic science concepts (such as transformations between forms of energy) as related to home energy flows.
- Identify types of basic home energy monitoring tools and demonstrate their use.
- Discuss home energy improvement options with respect to both space heating and electricity.
- Describe the procedure of setting up a renewable energy system for a home.
- Understand the basic principles of renewable energy systems
Instructional Methods
- Lectures
- Individual mini projects
- Discussions
- Class examples
- Homework
- Readings
Course Calendar
Segment 1 (3 hrs) – Course introduction
Home energy intro
Flow of energy in a typical home and ways to affect the flow
Mini project 1 – cost of energy
Reading assignment: Get familiar with the first text - Energy Savers Tips for Alaska
Segment 2 (4 hrs) - Heat
Basic building science – heat transfer, air flow, moisture, condensation
Heat recovery ventilators (HRVs)
Mini project 2 – energy to take a shower
Home retrofits
Heating systems
Reading assignment: Get familiar with the second text - Chapter 2 (Building Science Basics) of Alaska Residential Building Manual
Segment 3 (3.5 hrs) - Electricity
Electricity intro
Basic physics related to electricity
Mini project 3 – basic measurements with a Kill A Watt meter
Lighting
Appliances
HW assignment – Kill A Watt meter measurement and analysis
Segment 4 (3.5 hrs) – Renewable energy
Renewable energy intro
Renewable energy for heating
Electric renewable energy systems
Photovoltaic simulation tool
Mini project 4 – resources in your region
Economic comparisons – renewable energy, energy efficiency, residential, utility scale - video
Exit survey
Course Policies
- UAF requires students to conduct themselves honestly and responsibly, and to respect the rights of others.
- Completion of all class sessions is mandatory.
- Homework is due one week after it is assigned.
- The instructor reserves the right to amend this course outline as needed.
Evaluation and Grading
This is a Pass/Fail course. Completion of the following will result in a passing grade:
Attendance and Participation
Attendance of all class sessions is required to receive a passing grade. Students are expected to actively participate in group discussions and individual mini projects.
Homework
Each student will use an energy monitoring tool (typically a Kill-A-Watt meter) provided by the instructor to measure the electrical consumption of an appliance of the student’s choice (e.g. a refrigerator in his/her home), and based on the collected data make projections about the annual electricity consumption and associated cost. The student will then elaborate on the possibilities to reduce the amount of electricity consumed by the appliance and calculate potential savings.
Exit Survey
Each student will be required to complete an exit survey at the end of the class and demonstrate good understanding of the basics of home energy.
Failure to complete all class sessions, complete the homework, or complete the exit survey will result in a failing grade.
Support and Disability Services
UAF Bristol Bay Campus – Student Services
PO Box 1070
Dillingham, Alaska 99576
907-842-5109, 800-478-5109, Fax: 907-842-5692
Students can also go to the UAF website http://www.uaf.edu or to the College of Rural and Community Development website http://www.uaf.edu/rural/ or to Bristol Bay Campus website http://www.uaf.edu/bbc/index.html or to the UAF Office of Disability Services website http://www.uaf.edu/disability/ .