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Home Energy Use

Answer to Last Week’s Question: Past Rube Goldberg challenges:

Past Contest Challenges:

• 1987 Put Toothpaste on a Toothbrush
• 1992 Unlock a Combination Padlock
• 1997 Insert and Then Play a CD Disc
• 2002 To Select, Raise and Wave a National Flag
• 2004 To Select, Mark and Cast an Election Ballot (certainly applicable to today)
• 2007 Squeeze the Juice from an Orange

This week we conducted an energy survey of our homes. The survey begins with questions about the floor plan of our homes, how old it is, how large it is, what heating system we use, and finally whether we rent or own our home. Next it uses more detailed questions to determine what types of appliances we use. Using this information the survey found that my house used about an average amount of energy.

It then suggested some cost cutting solutions that we could employ to reduce our energy footprint. Naturally many of these centered around improving the heating and colling system, as this draws the overwhelming majority of energy. They suggested lowering the hot water heater temperature, insulating the hot water heater, washing full loads of dishes, air drying dishes, avoiding over drying clothes, maintaining the heating system, installing a programmable thermostat, and finally using compact florescent light bulbs. These simple cost cutting solutions will hopefully help reduce our effect on the environment and promote a longevity within our natural resource consumption.

Question: Who developed and who maintains this surveys website?