Kill A Watt Meter

Lake Country Power and the Grand Rapids Area Library offer energy measuring devices.

Kill A Watt meter allows consumers to measure energy use by appliances in order to make more informed appliance purchase and use decisions.

Devices to measure the energy used by individual appliances may now be borrowed from the Grand Rapids Area Library. Lake Country Power has provided these Kill A Watt meters so that homeowners may measure energy use and predict the cost savings that would be gained by replacing inefficient appliances or changing patterns of use of office machines or other equipment. The devices are available for a 2-week loan from the library at 140 NE 2nd Street, Grand Rapids. To reserve a Kill A Watt meter, call the library at 218-326-7640.

The Kill A Watt meters show consumers how much energy various appliances use. By comparing these measurements to that of average use and more efficient Energy Star products, they can then make educated decisions on where their appliance dollars are best spent. They can also learn to reduce the energy used by an appliance by unplugging it while not in use, adjusting temperatures, or modifying use patterns. The Kill A Watt features a large LCD display. It forecasts costs, monitors cumulative kilowatt-hours of energy usage, and displays volts, amps, and watts at a 0.2% accuracy rating. Instructions for use are included with the device.

Common energy-wasting practices found by the Kill-A-Watt include extra refrigerators and televisions left running when not needed, home office equipment that can use energy while sitting idle and energy lost from a heated water bed not properly covered.