Question: A hot water leak in one of the faucets of your apartment can be very wasteful. A continuous leak of one quart per hour (a "slow" leak) at 155?F causes a loss of 1.75 million Btu per year. Suppose your water is heated with electricity.
a. How many pounds of coal delivered to your electric utility does this leak equate to if one pound of coal contains 12,000 Btu and the boiler combustion process and water distribution system have an overall efficiency of 30%?
b. If a pound of coal produces 1.83 pounds of CO2 during the combustion process, how much extra carbon dioxide does the leaky faucet produce in a year?