Question set

This is the raw data used to generate the questions, mark them and provide the extra information. Some of the HTML code has been replaced with its corresponding standard text rendering.

1

What is the UK carbon abatement (CO2 emissions reductions) target for 2050? (As a percentage of 1990 emissions.)

  1. 80
  2. 40
  3. 60
  4. 90

The Climate Change Act 2008 sets legally binding emission reduction targets for 2020 (reduction of 34 percent in greenhouse gas emissions) and for 2050 (reduction of at least 80 percent in greenhouse gas emissions and introduces five-yearly carbon budgets to help ensure those targets are met.

The DECC explains it all here.

http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/lc_uk/lc_uk.aspx

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2008/ukpga_20080027_en_1 Climate Change Act 2008

http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?chtt=Emissions+reductions&chts=000000,12&chs=150x200&chf=bg,s,ffffff|c,s,ffffff&chxt=x,y&chxl=0:|1990|2050|1:|&cht=bvs&chd=t:100.00,20.00&chco=00ff33&chbh=50

2

How fast are isotherms (lines of equal temperature around the globe) currently moving poleward?

  1. 40km a decade
  2. 60km a decade
  3. 10km a decade
  4. 30km a decade

Average isotherm migration rate is about 40 km per decade. The average rate of poleward migration of plant and animal species is about 6km per decade. This means that species’ comfortable climate zones are moving far faster than they can keep up with.

Hansen et al. wrote a paper about this. Click here to read it.

http://www.pnas.org/content/103/39/14288.full

Hansen, J., Sato, M., Ruedy, R., Lo, K., Lea, D. W., Medina-Elizade, M., et al. (2006). Global temperature change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

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tags. climate science

3

Mass for mass, how many times more potent as a greenhouse gas is methane than carbon dioxide?

  1. 25 times
  2. 12 times
  3. 45 times
  4. 5 times

Global Warming Potential is a measurement that compares the radiative forcing of a given gas to CO2. When measured over 100 years, Methane (CH4) has a value of 25. i.e. 25 times more potent.

There is a table of the GWP of different materials here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming_potential#Values

Forster, P. et al. (2007). Changes in atmospheric constituents and in radiative forcing. in Climate change - The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 20, 212.

../Fig_4.jpg

tags. climate science

4

How many square metres of crystalline photo voltaic cells would power a normal house on a sunny day?

  1. 3m₂
  2. 1m₂
  3. 10m₂
  4. 20m₂

Current crystalline PV panels provide about 60 to 200 watts an hour per m₂ (at peak output). A house generally draws about 350 watts per hour on average. So it would take roughly 3 m₂ of PV panels to run the house.

You can get more info about PV panels here

http://www.generators.smps.us/solarpower.html

http://www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/Microgeneration-Technologies/Solar-photovoltaic-PV

../solar-powered-house-pv-panels-thumb-425x282.jpg

tags. low carbon economy, renewable energy,

5

What is the maximum grant (in £) that a home owner could receive as a part of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP) Phase 1?

  1. 2,500
  2. 20,000
  3. 100
  4. 5,000

Phase 1 of the LCBP started in April 2006 and was managed by the Energy Saving Trust. It allocated up to £2,500 per property towards the cost of micro generation technologies for home owners

You can read about it here.

http://www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk/

Department of Energy & Climate Change and Energy Saving Trust. 2009

http://www.lowcarboneconomy.com/Resources/NewsImages/Department+of+Energy+and+Climate+Change_1235_19456644_1_0_7047855_300320x320.jpg

tags. UK, Government, energy, subsidy

6

What is a ‘Feed in Tariff’?

  1. A way for the grid to pay consumers for energy they have generated
  2. The price of bio-fuels for community CHP use
  3. The carbon cost of various foodstuffs
  4. An index of food prices

A Feed in Tariff (FiT) is a way for anyone to generate electricity and sell it to the national grid.

Energy Saving Trust

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generate-your-own-energy/Sell-your-own-energy/Clean-Energy-Cashback-Feed-in-Tariffs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed-in_tariff

http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200809/r296953_1279738.jpg

7

How many homes would a 5 megawatt wind turbine power if working at full capacity?

  1. about 1500
  2. about 500
  3. about 100
  4. about 800

1 megawatt will power about 300 homes, so a 5 megawatt turbine will be enough for about 1500 homes. That means that 50 of them would comfortably power a town about the size of Oxford.

You can get more info about wind power here

http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/pages/wind-power-in-the-uk.html

http://www.awea.org/faq/wwt_basics.html#How many homes can one megawatt of wind energy supply

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2349/1751987804_e2c7794d0e.jpg

tags. low carbon economy, renewable energy,

8

Albedo is a measurement of the rate of what?

  1. Heat reflection into the atmosphere
  2. Oceanic CO2 absorption
  3. Extinction of mammals
  4. Algae reproduction

Albedo is the rate at which heat is reflected back into the atmosphere. A high albedo happens with light colours for example grass, whilst a low albedo occurs with dark colours such as tarmac.

Read the Wikipedia article about albedo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albedo

http://www.energyeducation.tx.gov/environment/section_3/topics/predicting_change/img/albedo.gif

tags. climate science

9

In what sort of climate is it ideal to have large amounts of exposed thermal mass?

  1. Deserts (large temperature differences)
  2. Tropical Climates (small temperature differences)
  3. Cold Climates (small temperature differences)
  4. Cities (small temperature differences)

Thermal mass is particularly important in the design of buildings in environments with a high diurnal range. In some deserts, for example, the daytime temperature can reach well over 40 degrees. The following night, however, temperatures can fall to below freezing. If materials with a thermal lag of 10-12 hours are carefully used, then the low night-time temperatures will reach the internal surfaces around the middle of the day, cooling the inside air down. Similarly, the high daytime temperatures will reach the internal surfaces late in the evening, heating the inside up.
In climates that are constantly hot or constantly cold, the thermal mass effect can actually be detrimental. This is because both surfaces will tend towards the average daily temperature which, if it is above or below the comfortable range, will result in even more occupant discomfort due to unwanted mean radiant gains or losses. Thus in warm tropical and equatorial climates, buildings tend to be very open and lightweight. In very cold and sub-polar regions, buildings are usually highly insulated with very little exposed thermal mass, even if it is used for structural reasons.

Square one explain this clearly here

http://www.squ1.com/archive/thermal/mass.html

http://enertia.com/Portals/0/summer.gif

10

Using one joule of energy in one second is how many watts?

  1. 1
  2. 10
  3. 0.1
  4. 100

Moving 1 Newton 1 metre uses 1 joule. This is about equivalent to moving an apple from the floor to a table. Using 1 joule in 1 second is 1 watt. So running a 100 watt light bulb uses enough power to move 100 apples 1 metre every second. (In an ideal world with no friction, and with a perfect machine…)

Saul Griffith does a great job of explaining what a watt actually is in his talk about Energy Literacy

http://blip.tv/file/1018152

Griffith, S. (2008). Energy Literacy. In O’Reilly Emerging Technology Conference. San Diego: O’Reilly. Retrieved from http://blip.tv/file/1018152.

1-watt.png

11

What Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) band is the average UK house?

  1. D
  2. A
  3. F
  4. B

Using the Energy Performance Certificate’s (EPC) energy efficiency rating bands, two out of five homes in England and Wales (44 per cent) rate ‘average’ for energy efficiency falling into band D, whilst only a tiny proportion (1 per cent) of homes achieve the highest ranking of band A or B.

See the Halifax press release here.

http://www.lloydsbankinggroup.com/media/pdfs/200109epc.pdf

_Halifax Estate Agents survey of the energy labelling of domestic buildings _released Friday 23rd January 2009

http://epc.direct.gov.uk/images/content/barchart.gif

12

What is a Trombe wall for?

  1. Passive thermal heating
  2. Passive thermal cooling
  3. Diffusing direct light
  4. Structural Reasons

A Trombe wall is a dark coloured masonry or concrete wall covered externally with a glass skin spaced in front to leave a small air space. Solar radiation passes through the glass and is absorbed by the mass wall. The mass is heated during the day and then releases its warmth to the interior during the evening and night hours. Ideally the glazing should have exterior insulating shutters for night-time use in order to prevent the heat gained from being returned back to the outside. Vents can also be placed in the wall to make use of convection currents to directly heat the room behind during the day.

Square One

http://www.squ1.com/archive/passive/trombe-wall.html

http://www.squ1.com/archive/passive/trombe-wall.html

http://www.architecture.uwaterloo.ca/faculty_projects/terri/carbon-aia/images/heating/trombe2.jpg

13

The Met is a measurement of metabolic rate. Assuming that you are sitting fairly still at your computer, how many Mets are you generating at the moment?

  1. 1
  2. 8
  3. 4
  4. 0.8

Traditionally, metabolism is measured in Met (1MET = 58 W/m₂ of body surface). A normal adult has a surface of 1.7 m₂, and a person in thermal comfort with an activity level of 1 Met will thus have a heat loss of approximately 100 W.

Lumasense have a booklet about thermal comfort here.

http://www.lumasense.dk/Comfort-Theory.thermal_comfort.0.html

http://www.lumasense.dk/Booklets.60.0.html
or
iso 7730:2005

http://nzdl.sadl.uleth.ca/gsdl/collect/envl/archives/HASH7fb3.dir/p041.gif

14

For a given thickness, which is most insulating?

  1. Snow
  2. Poured Concrete
  3. Glass
  4. Brick

Snow traps a lot of air so, despite being made of ice, it is a pretty effective barrier to heat transfer.

See a table of materials and their R values here

Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-value#Typical_per-inch_R-values_for_material

Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-value#Typical_per-inch_R-values_for_material

http://www.cbc.ca/sevenwonders/images/pic_wonder_igloo_lg.jpg

tags. built environment,

15

What percentage of domestic energy is used for space heating?

  1. 61%
  2. 38%
  3. 13%
  4. 95%

According to the Centre for Alternative Technology’s <a href = http://www.cat.org.uk/information/catinfo.tmpl?command=search&amp;db=catinfo.db&amp;eqSKUdatarq=InfoSheet_EnergyEfficiency>Energy Efficiency in the Home fact sheet, 61% of domestic energy is used in heating our homes. This does not include energy used to heat water or our food!

Centre for Alternative Technology

http://www.cat.org.uk/information/catinfo.tmpl?command=search&db=catinfo.db&eqSKUdatarq=InfoSheet_EnergyEfficiency

http://www.cat.org.uk/information/pdf/EnergyEfficiencyInTheHome.pdf

http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?chtt=domestic+energy+use&chts=000000,12&chs=600x220&chf=bg,s,ffffff&cht=p3&chd=t:61.00,23.00,3.00,13.00&chl=Space+Heating+61%|Water+heating+23%|cooking+3%|lighting+and+appliances+13%&chco=ff3300,00ffcc,cc33cc,ffffcc

16

What is the payback time for energy saving light bulbs?

  1. under 5 years
  2. 12 years
  3. 8 years
  4. more than 22 years

Assuming that an energy saving light bulb costs £5 then it will pay for itself in 5 years.
This is a conservative estimate, and energy saving light bulbs can be bought for much less than this.(B&Q have been selling them for 10p recently!)

Centre for Alternative Technology

http://www.cat.org.uk/information/catinfo.tmpl?command=search&db=catinfo.db&eqSKUdatarq=InfoSheet_EnergyEfficiency

http://www.cat.org.uk/information/pdf/EnergyEfficiencyInTheHome.pdf

http://blogs.nature.com/climatefeedback/544px-Compact-Flourescent-Bulb.jpg

17

What chemical compound does CO₂ refer to?

  1. Carbon dioxide
  2. Carbon
  3. Cobalt
  4. Water

CO₂ is a compound made up of 1 carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. It is consumed by plants during photosynthesis, and is produced by animals during respiration. It is also produced when hydro carbons are burnt.

Wikipedia - CO₂

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Carbon-dioxide-3D-vdW.svg/500px-Carbon-dioxide-3D-vdW.svg.png

18

What fraction of the current UK housing stock will still be here in 2050?

  1. two thirds
  2. one half
  3. one third
  4. three quarters

By 2050, 31.8 million dwellings will be needed to meet the growth in population. This represents a net increase of 7.9 million homes (33%) from 1996. The stock increased by 1.1 million between 1996 and 2004, leaving 6.8 million to build between 2005 and 2050. Over two-thirds of the 2050 housing stock has already been built.

Read the Environmental Change Institute’s 40% House paper here.

http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/research/energy/downloads/40house/40house.pdf

Environmental Change Institute, 2005

http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?chtt=What+fraction+of+the+current+UK+housing+stock+will+still+be+here+in+2050?&chts=000000,12&chs=700x350&chf=bg,s,ffffff&cht=p3&chd=t:66.00,34.00&chl=existing+two+thirds|new+build+one+third&chco=0000ff,00ff99

19

What is the EU 2020 renewables target for the UK? (as a percentage of all energy generated)

  1. 15%
  2. 0.5%
  3. &nbsp;5%
  4. &nbsp;2%

The draft renewables Directive would set the UK a target of 15% of its final energy consumption to come from renewable sources by 2020. In 2005, the UK produced only 1.3% of final energy from renewables. The only Member States to produce less were Malta and Luxembourg.

See page 15 of ‘The EU’s Target for Renewable Energy: 20% by 2020’

http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld200708/ldselect/ldeucom/175/175.pdf

HOUSE OF LORDS
European Union Committee
27th Report of Session 2007–08
The EU’s Target for Renewable Energy: 20% by 2020

http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?chtt=Percentage+of+renewable+energy+in+the+UK+by+2020&chts=000000,12&chs=700x320&chf=bg,s,ffffff&cht=p3&chd=t:15.00,85.00&chl=renewables+15%|non+renewables+85%&chco=00ff00,999900

20

When will the Carbon reduction commitment come into effect

  1. 1st April 2010
  2. 1 st January 2012
  3. 1 st August 2016
  4. 1 st October 2020

The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme (formerly known as the Carbon Reduction Commitment) is the UK’s mandatory climate change and energy saving scheme, due to start in April 2010. It is central to the UK’s strategy for improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, as set out in the Climate Change Act 2008. It has been designed to raise awareness in large organisations, especially at senior level, and encourage changes in behaviour and infrastructure. The schemes amended title serves to better reflect the CRC’s focus on increasing energy efficiency.

The DECC website explains this

http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/lc_uk/crc/crc.aspx

href = http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/lc_uk/crc/user_guidance/user_guidance.aspx>http://www.decc.gov.uk/…/user_guidance.aspx

http://www.climatechangecorp.com/resources/images/content/large/200811464015_plugging%20into%20green.jpg

21

Which of the following is not a fossil fuel

  1. Biodiesel
  2. Coal
  3. Natural gas
  4. Petrol

Fossil fuels are made over millions of years by organic matter decomposing under heat and pressure. Bio-diesel is made by processing fresh organic matter (generally plant, although animal fats have been used) into fuel.

Read about fossil fuel production here.

http://www.green-planet-solar-energy.com/fossil-fuel-formation.html

http://www.green-planet-solar-energy.com/images/oil_prod_img_4.gif

22

How many times more efficient is an A+ rated fridge-freezer than a G rated one?

  1. 4.3 times more efficient
  2. 9.0 times more efficient
  3. 1.5 times more efficient
  4. 2.2 times more efficient

Domestic appliances account for 47% of total domestic electricity consumption, according to the Energy Saving Trust
Appliances sold in Europe since 1992 have had an efficiency rating label.

Which magazine gives a quick rundown on the savings that can be made with efficient appliances.

http://www.which.co.uk/advice/how-to-use-less-electricity/energy-efficient-appliances/index.jsp

http://ec.europa.eu/energy/efficiency/labelling/labelling_en.htm

http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2009/images/energy-label.jpg

23

In this realm, what does the acronym PMV stand for?

  1. Predicted Mean Vote
  2. Personal Meal Value
  3. Principle Material Valency
  4. Passy-Muir Valve

The Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) refers to a thermal scale that runs from Cold (-3) to Hot (+3 originally developed by Fanger and later adopted as an ISO standard. The original data was collected by subjecting a large number of people (reputedly many thousands of Israeli soldiers) to different conditions within a climate chamber and having them select a position on the scale the best described their comfort sensation. A mathematical model of the relationship between all the environmental and physiological factors considered was then derived from the data. It wasn’t actually as simple as that, as the fundamentals of the equation are actually based on a physical analysis of the thermal exchanges and then modified slightly to fit the data, however it’s a fair summary

Square One’s comfort prediction information

http://www.squ1.com/archive/comfort/prediction.html

http://www.squ1.com/archive/comfort/prediction.html

http://www.cradle-cfd.com/topics/images/Thermal%20distribution.jpg

24

Where does the most heat escape in an average home?

  1. Through the walls
  2. Through the floor
  3. Through the windows
  4. Through the roof

According to the Centre for Alternative Technology’s Energy Efficiency in the Home fact sheet, 35% of the heat lost from an average home is through the walls.
If you have cavity walls you can easily get insulation blown in. This takes less than a day to do and causes minimum disruption. It is a little more expensive and disruptive to insulate solid walls, but still worthwhile. Internal insulation can be put up on the inside of external walls. You lose a little of the room space and will need to re-plaster, but you will save on energy from heating. External insulation is less disruptive, and it means you keep the ‘thermal mass’ of wall inside. The wall will then act as a form of heat storage, absorbing heat and slowly releasing it &#150; so making a comfortable living environment.

Centre for Alternative Technology

http://www.cat.org.uk/information/catinfo.tmpl?command=search&db=catinfo.db&eqSKUdatarq=InfoSheet_EnergyEfficiency

http://www.cat.org.uk/information/pdf/EnergyEfficiencyInTheHome.pdf

http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?chtt=Heat+Loss+from+an+average+home&chts=000000,12&chs=450x200&chf=bg,s,ffffff&cht=p3&chd=t:10.00,15.00,25.00,35.00,15.00&chl=Windows+10%|Floor+15%|Loft+25%|Walls+35%|Draughts+15%&chco=ff3300,00ffcc,cc33cc,99ff00,ff33ff

25

How many Terawatts of power did the world consume in 2005?

  1. 15
  2. 7
  3. 12
  4. 18

In 1980 the world used 9.5 Terawatts, in 2005 we used 15 Terawatts.

Saul Griffith does a great job of explaining this in his talk about Energy Literacy

http://blip.tv/file/1018152

Griffith, S. (2008). Energy Literacy. In O’Reilly Emerging Technology Conference. San Diego: O’Reilly. Retrieved from http://blip.tv/file/1018152.

http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?chtt=Energy+Consumption&chts=000000,12&chs=300x400&chf=bg,s,ffffff|c,s,ffffff&chxt=x,y&chxl=0:|1980|2005|1:|&cht=bvs&chd=t:63.33,100.00&chdl=World+Terawatts+used&chco=ff3300&chbh=50