For our groups proposal we have decided to look at the use of heat pumps for use in a residential setting. There has been a lot of talk recently about energy usage concerns and this would be a chance to educate ourselves and others on the potential solutions, and maybe save a few dollars in energy bills along the way. Some options to be considered would be direct exchange, ground closed loop, pond loop, and standing column well system. Such options, while having a larger initial investment, could greatly reduce an individual’s heating and possibly cooling costs. The positive effects can not only be seen on the monthly bill from the power company, but also in the environment, as heat pumps cut down on pollutants. As with anything, cost is the driving force of change. This is something that will be consider for each alternative, including maintenance, setup, and reliability.
With the explosion interest in green and renewable energy, there is plenty of research and products available. A short search on Google shows a multitude of options, along with various information about different types of heat pumps and the use of geothermal exchange. A great website devoted to the use of geothermal energy is http://www.geoexchange.org/geothermal/geoexchange-explained/what-is-geoe.... Another great resource is solarhome.org, a website devoted to creating a green home. They not only include information about energy saving products, but also have resources for residential heat pumps.
This White Paper would target primarily contractors that are interested in installing and maintaining different types of heat pumps for homeowners interested in a way to reduce their monthly electrical bills and even help the environment. The contractors would take the information provided in the White Paper and help tailor a specific product or system for the homeowner. They will be most interested in a system that they can sell to their customers, something that will have the performance, and energy saving benefits to offset the cost. The secondary readers would consist of the actual homeowners themselves, wanting to familiarize themselves with certain technologies, along with their availabilities, and their effectiveness. With the vastly different homeowners that may live in a single city, there must also be a sufficient amount of options, such as different sizes, efficiencies, and cost, available to satisfy them. The contractors and homeowners would work together and analyze the different options presented to find one that fits their needs. The Tertiary readers would consist of environmentalists, media, and maybe most importantly, the instructors in this class. Obviously we are going to be evaluated by our instructors for the project, but environmentalists and the media would be interested to see how green technology and renewable energies work at the residential level. With enough good publicity and working systems, it could grow to be a normal thing. Our final audience would be the gatekeepers. Again, the class instructors would fall into this category, along with any regulatory and safety agencies. If these systems are to be installed by professionals and sold by companies, they must certain standards of safety and health. This all ensures products and systems that are not safe or hazardous do not get distributed to the public. This would not only harm individuals, but it would also embarrass the companies.
We would like to have a rotation of responsibilities. This way everyone contributes, stays informed, and contribute to the project. We also plan to have a meeting early next week with members on campus to put everyone on the same page and come up with a way to tackle this project as a group. When completed, our White Paper will contain technical information regarding the many different options and improves that an individual homeowner can make to impact their energy consumption.
Group 3 Proposal Feedback
There are few areas I would like you to reconsider before you get going on this white paper.
The first is audience. You need a more specific definition of your primary audience. Most homeowners do not track down and read white papers, and, most importantly, homeowners do not all share the same needs, values, expectations, and resources. These solutions need to be viable and they need to be obtainable for the reader. For this reason, you need to more narrowly define your audience in terms of the contexts of use identified in TCT.
Keep in mind that the purpose of a white paper is to evaluate competing solutions for a specific problem, so that the reader can make an informed choice. Solution options are mutually exclusive, so the decision-making audience is only going to select one. With your topic, you seem to be identifying different issues (electricity, heating/cooling, lighting) and then presenting tips for each one. The reader doesn't have to choose one option from many, because pursuing one option doesn't preclude him or her from pursuing the others.
Imagine if the specific problem you were addressing was that the mother of a middle-class family of five people did not know what mid-sized sedan to buy. The corresponding white paper would present the strengths and weaknesses of the different makes and models (based upon cost, gas mileage, room, features, etc.), but ultimately the audience is just going to select one of them, not buy them all.
You can consider both the revision of your audience and your solutions at once. What, for instance, can a local contractor (as primary audience) offer single-income families (as secondary audiences) to cut down on water use? What are three or four distinct options that this audience can choose from and present to clients?
This white paper would evaluate the pros and cons of the different options so that the audience can make an informed decision about selecting one based on his or her situational needs. That's what you're after.
Group Three Proposal Feedback Redux
The distinctions you make between primary and secondary audiences is much improved. Knowing both the audience you are writing for and what they will use the white paper to decide is a great first step. In addition, knowing who they will share the information with will help you focus the research as well. That is, telling contractors not just what they need to know, but what they will need to know in order to keep their customers informed.
I still have some questions about the solutions you have proposed. It still seems as if the options are not mutually exclusive. That is, couldn't someone request both a grid tie solar system and a Heat Pump? You could, for instance, select three kinds of grid tie solar systems. This is what we mean by mutually exclusive.
Response
In my opinion this is very similar to the example about a government selecting an alternative energy source. While a homeowner could ask for multiple options, it would be cost prohibitive for the contractor to stock every available option let alone learn how to install and maintain it. The contractor is looking to offer a single option to homeowners which is why they are reading the white paper. I contractor in Arizona might decided that based on our white paper they will offer solar while another contractor in Kansas will offer a wind option.
Andy