Conservation through Energy

Completing the Energy Star Portfolio Manager (ESPM) assessment provided a comprehensive look at my home's energy and water use. By entering monthly utility data, I could visualize patterns, identify inefficiencies, and establish a performance baseline. One of the key takeaways was understanding how seasonality affects energy usage—especially during summer and winter months when HVAC systems work harder.

The assessment highlighted that electricity consumption peaked in July and August, aligning with high AC usage. Water use showed less variation but was notably higher in months with increased laundry and outdoor watering. My home received an Energy Star Score of 63, indicating better-than-average performance, though not yet optimized. I had expected a lower score due to occasional high usage periods, so this score was a pleasant surprise.

A few lessons stood out. First, energy use spikes were strongly linked to forgotten appliances like space heaters left running or lights left on in unoccupied rooms. Second, water use was higher in older plumbing fixtures. Finally, I realized that standby power from plugged-in devices had a more significant impact than anticipated.

For ZIP code 94538, the Equity Report uncovered disparities in both energy burden and access to efficient infrastructure. Lower-income households often faced energy costs exceeding 6% of their income, much higher than the national average of 3%. Additionally, aging plumbing and limited access to rebates contributed to water inefficiencies in older homes.

An interesting takeaway I found from my household data was that newer housing developments were more energy- and water-efficient due to stricter building codes and incentives. This suggests the need for targeted retrofitting programs in older neighborhoods to bridge the efficiency gap and support energy equity.

The most efficient site was Powerville High School, showing the lowest total energy cost per square foot and consistent usage throughout the year. The least efficient was Energetic Middle School, which had the highest gas consumption, likely due to outdated boilers. Key recommendations include installing smart meters, HVAC upgrades, and district-wide education on conservation.

I resonated with Doris Do– Vice President of Business Operations. A little about Doris Do is that she specializes in Environmental Science with emphasis in Biological. Do inspired me to complete the Energy Star Portfolio Manager (ESPM) assessment was a revealing experience that gave me a clearer understanding of how my household consumes both energy and water. By manually inputting twelve months of utility data, I gained access to detailed visualizations and performance metrics that showcased both patterns and problem areas. The most striking realization was the way extreme weather significantly impacts monthly energy usage—particularly the hot summer months and cold winter periods.

During the process, I assessed two primary meters in my home: the electricity meter, which measures usage in kilowatt-hours (kWh), and the water meter, which tracks usage in gallons. Each month’s usage was carefully entered into ESPM, covering an entire year. This allowed the platform to generate monthly trends, cost estimations, and environmental impact summaries. The process required attention to detail but ultimately helped me feel much more in control and informed about my resource consumption.

According to ESPM, my home earned an Energy Star Score of 63, which is above average but leaves room for improvement. I was expecting something slightly lower due to a few inefficient appliances and inconsistent usage habits, so I was pleasantly surprised. This score reflects moderate efficiency, but the assessment pointed out that insulation improvements and updated appliances could make a significant difference.

I discovered that our lighting habits were wasteful—several rooms had incandescent bulbs, and lights were often left on unnecessarily. Replacing them with LEDs made a noticeable difference. Devices left plugged in (chargers, gaming consoles, etc.) contributed to energy waste even when not actively in use. This was an easy fix by using smart power strips. Our water use was consistently higher than expected, largely due to an old toilet and frequent small laundry loads. This pushed me to adjust habits and plan for fixture upgrades.

This graph depicts my household range. I live in a diverse and vibrant city located in the southeastern part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It’s part of Alameda County and is one of the larger cities in the region, with a population of around 230,000 people. With 230,000 people living Fremont, CA has made significant efforts in recent years to reduce energy use and promote sustainability, both at the city level and among residents and businesses.

We can say that the District Buildings is the constant variable, while the other variables-outdoor lighting, pumping, and water usage are dependent variables being measured. From the graph we can see that the outdoor lighting was lightly impacted, whereas the water usage was heavily impact. From this we should come to the conclusion to conserve water from the best of our ability. Below you will find tips to conserve energy.

Energy Saving Tips:

Switch to LED lighting
Install a smart thermostat
Seal windows and doors
Use power strips to shut off vampire energy
Maintain HVAC systems regularly

Water Saving Tips:

Use low-flow faucets and showerheads
Install a dual-flush or efficient toilet
Fix all leaks promptly
Collect rainwater for outdoor use
Run appliances only with full loads

Here is an overall video reflecting my experience with the TEC internship: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jVb5gpt37VPE7A5BQmnYtBtyagkwym3-/view?usp=drive_link

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