Rose Cottage Ltd

In a world that seems increasingly out-of-control – along comes a hot stretch of summer heat – and around and around goes the electric meter on my house (Okay, it’s digital but you get my point). I’ve been conducting a non-scientific experiment over the last few days to see what is sucking down all the kilowatt hours and to figure out what I might do about it.

The most obvious thing is to set the air conditioning up a few degrees. I did this about two weeks ago but with my sinuses, had to back it down a bit because when it gets stuffy in the house I can’t breathe well. So, I’ve compromised.

My computer runs pretty much 24/7 along with the attached printer – both of which are on a surge protector/battery backup box. Not much I can do with this, but I have started turning the printer off at night and not turning it on again unless I need to use it. Although I work at home most days I don’t have the large-screen TV on that often until the evening. This is a good thing because that unit uses a lot of “juice” and also puts out a fair amount of heat. To get specifics I’ll need to break out my Kill A Watt unit for some 2013 numbers. You can get one for yourself via Amazon:

++ P3 International P4480 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor with Electronic Graphic Timer

You can read my earlier findings on the usage of some common household appliances by reading my post from January 2011: “A Kilowatt Saved is a Kilowatt earned.”

I’m always interested in ways to conserve and to make the planet a better place but for the moment, this is all about my wallet – and how many hours I can limit to save money. With temperatures as hot as they are this summer, it seems worth the time and effort.

Knowledge is power – pun intended…

In the interests of saving energy and saving money in 2011, I recently purchased a Kill A Watt unit.

Now watt? (Just kidding!)

With this tool and some simple calculations I’ll find out where my money is really going.

Power companies are good about telling you how much they charge but not so good about identifying where it’s going. The local power company charges 12 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh). This means if I leave a 100-watt light bulb burning all month (720 hours), my power company will charge me $8.64.

Now with the Kill A Watt unit, I can find out how much each appliance in my home uses and decide whether I want to pay for it or not.

Here’s an insightful list of information provided by my new energy-saving monitor:

100-watt lamp ~ burns 100 watts
Cost: $8.64 per month

Curling Iron ~ burns 25 watts
Cost: $2.16 per month

Cellphone Charger ~ burns 5 watts
Cost: $0.43 per month

Desktop Computer ~ burns 75 watts
Cost: $6.48 per month

An appliance’s power consumption is not constant.

The coffeemaker burns 920 watts when brewing. This would be $80 per month if it brewed 24/7. Normally, the coffeemaker brews for a few minutes and “warms” for many hours. When in the “warming” mode, the coffeemaker uses 125 watts or $10.80 per month. Note to self: Turn OFF the coffeemaker!

My TV system with a 46 inch screen also includes a DVD player and a DVR unit. When the TV is turned off the system burns 50 watts or $4.30 per month. When the TV is on it burns 200 watts or $17.28 per month. So, if you are one of those who uses the TV as background noise, you will pay for it. Unfortunately, the DVR must be powered all the time in order to record favorite programs – so my ability to control this cost is limited.

Goals for 2011 electrical energy savings is to reduce usage by 25% which could be a savings of $30 per month. We shall see….

You can see an image of the Kill A Watt unit in the prior post.