News

5/27/2010

Learn how much electricity your appliances use!

HENDERSON, Ky. -- Cooperative member Linda Carver of Sacramento jumped at the chance to borrow a Kill-A-Watt meter from Kenergy Corp.

Carver wanted to find out if her EdenPURE space heater was as energy efficient as its manufacturers claimed.  “I was surprised at how much power (the heater) uses,” she says. “(The manufacturer) claims 50 cents a day” in electric costs.

But with the Kenergy Kill-A-Watt meter, Carver discovered the heater used $1.36 a day in electricity, or more than double what she anticipated. On the other hand, she was surprised to learn her aging chest freezer in the garage used very little electricity.

Kenergy’s Kill-A-Watt meter program allows members to calculate the amount of electricity consumed by numerous household appliances.  The meters are preprogrammed with Kenergy’s electric rate so members can calculate more accurately the actual energy costs associated with operating appliances.

Here’s how the program works:

Members can borrow one energy meter for 14 days.  Meters must be reserved by calling 800-844-4832, extension 6157. 

Instructions come with the meters.  Read the instructions well before using the device.

Leave your monitor plugged in to an appliance as long as possible.  The longer it reads an appliance, the more accurate the reading.  Once you know how much electricity a particular appliance uses, you can make an informed decision on whether it’s more cost-effective to stop using that appliance, cut back on the use, or replace it with a more energy-efficient model.

A $50 deposit is required to borrow the monitors, but the deposit will be returned to the member when the meter is returned to the office.  If the meter is not returned after the two-week period, the co-op will keep the deposit.

Nancy Jones of Kuttawa used a Kill-A-Watt meter to check just about every appliance in her home. Jones’ computer stays on a lot, so she was eager to learn its usage.  The computer used only 19 cents a week in electricity, according to the Kill-A-Watt meter.

An extra refrigerator in the house proved to be more efficient than Jones expected also.

She said the Kill-A-Watt meter was easy to use, and she recommends it to members who want to learn how much electricity their appliances use.

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