Posted on 08/25/2013 10:46:41 AM PDT by djf
I am not endorsing a particular product, but there is a kool device out there.
I know my fridge is near the end of it's life cycle, so I was wondering if there was any way to know how much I might save by getting a newer model.
Enter Kill-a-Watt!
Kill-a-Watt is this neat little device that actually real-time measures how much power a particular device is using. Mine got hear last week, so I have had it hooked up to my fridge most of the time.
Shows my fridge is using about 1.76 KWH per day. When fridge is engaged and the compressor and fans are running, it draws about 1.26 amps.
I disconnected the Kill A Watt for a little while and plugged my laptop into it.
Amazing! My laptop drew .76 amps!
Considering I will often simply leave it plugged in almost all day, and the power draw doesn't vary much while it's on, it's easy to see that my laptop is actually using more juice than my fridge!
I just thought Kill A Watt is an interesting item that might reveal some things to other FReepers that would surprise them.
Cost is about 17 bucks, so we're not talking anything big-ticket. I think Home Depot and Wally World have them, I ordered mine from Amazon.
My house uses 8 to 10 kwh per day, year ‘round. Things like this do not excite me.
And I used to work for an electric cooperative.
Yeah the chest freezer was in a lean-to structure off the basement that had a HUGE solar load on it... power was reduced significantly by ventilating the space.
I explained to my roommate, who’s great aunt had owned the farm before she passed away, that what should be don’t is to bring the chest freezer into the basement... and that way the power disapation from the freezer could help warm the air and spread the temperature further from the dewpoint in the stone celler... it was a mold factory in the basement... and he ran a dehumifier nonstop... adding to the enormous load.
He was actually a bit of a nitwit... the sort of person that would go and install those ridiculous siezure inducing CFLs life they are going to save the planet... but then he would passout on the couch on Saturday nights with every light and television set on in the house... with the tube amp drawing 160 watts... and there he was at 3am snoring away. There were times he would open up all the doors from the house to the sunporch and turn on the house’s central AC... the solar load... the jalosie(sp?) windows... it was like “why don’t you just fire up the AC and open all the windows”.
I am glad I don’t live there anymore.
So this is how you get all amp’d up?
Lol! Good one.
Actually, just doing a general assessment before winter, I usually lose power a couple times. Have a generator, so this is more part of planning than anything else.
Contemplating solar. But that’s it, so far. Just contemplating.
I used mine to choose which fans I was keeping, and which ones to give away.
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