Chris Thomas

1891416

Term Paper

11/21/19
 The purpose of this paper is to analyze the cost of power used by appliances in the

Technology Annex at the University of Houston. Once we calculate the cost of power used by

the building, we will explore what can be done to various appliances to reduce the cost of power.

In the initial analysis of the Technology Annex building there were 6 main appliances

that were focused on. The majority of the technology in the building were computer monitors

and towers. Other appliances that were analyzed were projectors, vending machines, and LED

televisions. The operating hours of each of these is assumed to be the building hours provided by

the University of Houston website which states the building is open about 35 hours per week

(Uh.edu, 2019). In the table below the cost of each type of appliance is calculated for 1 week.

Product Function Operating Power Year of Quantity Cost Per Source

Hours (per Consumption Manufacture in Week
week) Building
dp/n Flat Panel 35 0.18 KWh 2012 285 $1795.50 120 V
oxtk9n Monitor outlet
Dell Computer 35 0.24 KWh 2017 284 $2385.60 120 V
optiplex Tower outlet
7050
Pt-dz780 Projector 35 0.79 KWh 2016 21 $580.65 120 V
outlet
SONY KDL- LED 35 .295 KWh 2016 1 $10.33 240 V
52W4100 Television outlet
SONY KDL- LED 35 .165 KWh 2016 1 $5.78 240 V
60W630B Television outlet
RVCC804- Vending 35 1.38 KWh 2012 5 $241.50 240 V
9 Machine outlet
$5019.36
Table 1. Appliances and their cost of power per week

The appliances that are in a position to be modified are the vending machines and the

classroom projectors. The monitors and computer towers are not going to be considered because

there are nearly 300 of them in the building. Any change or replacement made to the computers

may end up costing more than the money they would save. For that reason, the monitors and
computers towers are not considered even though they cost the most per week. The projectors

and vending machines, which cost the most after the computer monitor and tower. Furthermore,

because the televisions cost substantially less to power, they will not be the main focus of the

analysis.

There are 5 vending machines, all the same model, that are continuously on throughout

the day. They draw the most power out of the other appliances which is why they should be

examined first when trying to cut power costs. Of the 5 vending machines, 4 of them sell drinks

and 1 sells food. If 1 of the drink vending machines were to be removed from the building, the

cost would decrease $241.50 to $193.20. Each vending machine costs $48.30 to operate for 1

week, because there are many drink vending machines at least 2 can be removed without any

significant changes. If two machines were to be removed the total cost of power per week would

be reduced by $96.6 for a total of $4922.76 per week.

Taking the vending machines out of the building would save the most money, but if that

is not an option it is possible to modify them to consume less power. To simplify the calculations

for power consumption, everything in the building was presumed to be turned off when outside

of these operating hours. However, vending machines generally run 24/7 despite there being no

people around to use them. One of the ways to save power is to unplug them when the building is

closing so they are not on all of the time (Buildings.com, 2019). They can be turned off manually,

but the model of vending machine in the Technology building is programmable. Using this

feature, it could be possible to have the machines turn off automatically after an amount of time

where they have not been used. To install and implement this program the manual can be

referred to for instructions on how to program the machine or a technician can be hired.
 The projector uses an estimated $518.65 per week, these however cannot be removed

from the building as they are essential in the classroom. Since they cannot be removed to reduce

cost, their operating hours and general use can be examined instead. It could be possible to

reduce the operating hours by turning it off each time a professor is done, but this method is both

impractical and redundant with the use of sleep mode. While in sleep mode the projector uses

almost no power so there is practically no difference than when it is turned off. What can be

changed is the mode the projector is in, the model used in the classrooms has an ECO mode that

only 0.3 W in standby mode rather than the 3 W when not in ECO mode (Panasonic.net, 2019).

There are 2 differently sized televisions in the building, one is 60 inches and the other is

52 inches. It is assumed that one of them is always one because it is in the hallway and always

seen to be powered on. The other television is listed as part of a lab room and is therefore used

more sporadically than the other (Uh.edu, 2019). Focusing on the 60-inch television that is

always on, it could be programmed to display only a person walks by a sensor and stay in

standby mode until then. The settings could also be adjusted to power saving mode as most

televisions come with the option. With power saving mode the brightness of the display can be

adjusted to use less power.

There are many opportunities to reduce power consumption in a building. While every

appliance could have been analyzed to try and reduce power it is important to also look at the

practicality of the solutions presented. This is why the computers and monitors were not

discussed, because reducing power consumption on those appliances would generally mean

replacing them. If there were to be any significant change in the power consumption of the

building many of them would have to be replaced, not just a few. And while that could save

money, it would be a while before any gain would be seen because replacing everything means
that everything has to be bought again. With almost 300 computers that work perfectly fine there

would be no reason to replace them with an eco-friendlier computer. The same reason why solar

panels were not a presented solution, because it is too expensive to install them. The average

solar panel system costs $12,558 after tax, and while it could save money in the long run it is so

expensive that it becomes impractical (Matasci, 2019).

The solutions that were presented were chosen because they are feasible and practical to

accomplish with the goal of cost-effective power consumption reduction. There does not need to

be 5 vending machines in a one-floor building, while the one next to it has around 3 machines for

a three-floor building. With an unreasonable number of vending machines, it makes the most

sense to dispose of it altogether, and even if that is not an option it is able to be programmed to

turn off when not in use. The projectors and televisions both power saving options that can be

used immediately and at no cost. The total cost of the analyzed appliances is $5019.36 per week,

this can be reduced by at least 10% by combining all the solutions previously discussed.
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