Curbing Your Consumption:
Read the Manual, Read the Meter
By John Ford
Heading in to the holiday season, it's time to think about shopping
and decorations well in advance, and time to mention the savings from
LED decorative lights. A 70 bulb string of LEDs uses the same (or
less) amount of electricity as just one of the old bulbs. Meaning that
there's almost no point in using a timer unless you have a large
number of strings, since the timer may use more electricity than the
bulbs would while on all the time.
Use the opportunity of the shopping season to read manuals for
products you want to buy as gifts. Extend the idea to digging out and
reading the manuals for products you already have. Look for energy
saving features such as timers, hidden real off switches, and low
power modes that products may have that you many not have known
about. Flip to the back of the manual where the specifications will
tell you how much energy it uses in different modes. Buy the most
efficient device for the use planned. Check out the labels on the back
of appliances to see how much energy they are supposed to use, and
compare with newer appliances when you're out shopping.
Take the exploration of your old and new stuff to another level and
pick up a meter to measure energy use. It has been previously
mentioned that the Ottawa Public Library has P3 Kill-A-Watt meters for
loan at no cost, buying one is about $50. There is also another meter
available at a local retailer, called an EM100 for about $25. This
meter has the added feature of a battery backup to retain readings
when unplugged, and allows the entry of the cost of a kWh
(10.6¢/11.6¢ from November 1, 2006) so that an increasing
cost total can be displayed. Both of these meters are small devices
with a standard three prong plug on the back and an outlet on the
front. Get together with neighbours and buy one together for rotating
use. Or buy one as a gift for a relative and borrow it back when
they're bored with it.
After plugging the meter into the wall you plug the device to be
measured into the front. You can use a power bar to measure a bunch of
devices at the same time such as a computer, monitor, and modem. Using
one of these for all your appliances around your house for 24 hour
periods will give you a complete picture of where all your electricity
is being used. Plug in the washer to see how much a load of laundry
uses. Check the fridge to see the difference between winter and summer
consumption. For a real fright, plug in your ancient basement beer
fridge and see how much energy it sucks in.
John Ford is a technology consultant, owner of a small energy
conservation business, and the Energy Advocate for the Green Party of
Ontario.