EcoBlog

By Doug Anderson

In the spring of 2007, Minnesota Power teamed up with 28 Central and Northern Minnesota public libraries to make the Kill-A-Watt electric consumption meter available to library patrons on a checkout basis. The Kill-A-Watt meter is capable of measuring the electric consumption of specific 120v plug in appliances in kilowatt hours over a certain period of time. After metering an appliance, people using the KAW meter can then take the amount of electricity used and calculate how much money it is costing them to run that appliance by using some simple instructions included in the carrying case that the meter comes in. The purpose of this program is to help individuals understand how much any single or group of appliances are contributing to their overall electrical load and to use that information to make informed choices on how much to use that appliance, eliminate it altogether, or upgrade it to a more energy efficient model. Some appliances that could potentially use a considerable amount of energy and would be worth using the KAW on are refrigerators that are older than 10 years, older dehumidifiers, and space heaters. These appliances have the potential to use between $10 and $20 per month in electricity depending on how much they are used and their age. The meter is not just for high use appliances though and can be used on anything that plugs into an outlet. If you are interested in learning more about how much electricity your appliances are using, the KAW meter is available for checkout at all of Duluth’s public libraries and anyone that holds a library card can check one out for 2 weeks. If you live outside the Duluth metro area and want a list of other libraries that have KAW meters please email Doug Anderson at tmp_djanderson@mnpower.com.

Doug Anderson is an independent consultant for Minnesota Power’s Conservation Improvement Program team.