EXPERIMENT 1
Your Home and the Forces of Nature
There is not much you can do about your home’s location, especially since moving houses is an expensive and tricky proposition. But knowing how that location affects energy usage can be valuable when you’re beginning your energy audit in the next experiment.
First, determine the orientation of your house and how the weather forces act upon it, as shown in the drawing on page 9.
Using the compass, locate the points at which the sun rises and sets. You can also obtain information about the directions of the winds and storms that affect your area by calling your local weather bureau, the state agricultural extension service, or news agencies. Then sketch in the areas of your house that are used most — like the kitchen, dining room, and rec room.
