"Kill a Watt"

I borrowed a neat gizmo from the library yesterday. It's called a "Kill a Watt" device, and it tracks the energy consumption of small and large appliances. Enmax has partnered with the Calgary Public Library to provide these devices to the public free of charge. Anyone with a library card can check out a "Kill A Watt" meter on a one-week loan.

The "Kill A Watt" seems easy to use. You simply plug an appliance into the socket on the device, and then plug the meter into an electrical outlet. It's best to leave the appliance plugged in for 24 hours in order to get an accurate reading. The "Kill A Watt" records the KWH usage of the appliance. You can use your readings to calculate the cost to run your appliance.

Tonight I plan to plug our fridge into the "Kill A Watt". I'm curious to see how much energy it uses. One of my New Year's resolutions is to make more earth-friendly decisions at home, one baby step at a time. I plan to do small things like shut off lights and unused appliances, switch to energy-efficient bulbs, and turn down the thermostat. I figure a bunch of little steps can eventually add up to a big change.