What's new

measuring actual electricity usage

PaulLovesJamie

rural 5 bay SS
Joined
Aug 30, 2007
Messages
1,321
Reaction score
229
Points
63
Location
Kutztown PA
Those of you who know me, you know I like to have hard numbers, not just go by think/feel. So as part of my efforts to reduce electricity usage, I bought a watt meter - it tells me EXACTLY how many kwh an appliance uses. Its called a "kill-a-watt" meter, you can get them at amazon now, only 20 or 30 bucks. The only downside is that it only goes up to 15 amps. So I'm measuring everything I possibly can. Here are a few examples, using 10 cents per kwh:

Chest freezer in my garage (circa 1985): $66 per year.
Upright freezer in my garage (circa 2007): $24 per year.
I needed a second freezer for a moose - this info convinced me to buy the second one new rather than used.

I'm still measuring stuff at home - have checked the PCs, laptops, TV, pool, you name it - everything 15A or less. (Jamie thinks I'm nuts.)

(continued)
 
Top