Kill-a-Watt



My wife and I recently bought a Co-op, and we were astounded by our first electric bill. We have a lot of tech, so I figured that would make it more than our neighbors, but this was just way to much. I decided to invest in a Kill-a-Watt to find out just how much power our stuff uses, both "on" and "off".

I checked all the components hooked up in the entertainment center, at my desk in the office, and the few gadgets in the kitchen. I currently have the Kill-a-Watt hooked up to the refrigerator, and in a couple days I'll check it to find out the average power (it varies a lot depending on whether or not the compressor is running).

I've posted the power of each item (the number in parentheses is when the item is "off") and the total cost to me each month, based on my estimated hours of usage. Check here for a complete rundown.

Oh, we live on Long Island, and we have decided :cough:were forced:cough: to get our electricity from the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) which charges 18¢ per kWh.

The only thing I really discovered is that I should make sure I put my computer in sleep mode or turn it off when I am not using it. I spend about $20 per month to run my computer, but I am only using it a few hours a day.

The question still remains: what are we spending all this money on every month?!?!? There are things that I can't/won't test with the Kill-a-Watt (washer/dryer, dishwasher, water heater, etc), but I don't know if they could make up the difference. Any suggestions in the comments would be appreciated.




ItemPowerCost Per Month
   
Living Room  
   
Floor Lamp7.5 (0)0.162
NES10 (4.5)0.5832
MacMini20 (0)0
LaserDisc (Pioneer)22.5 (8)1.0368
N648.5 (0)0
Cable Modem8 (N/A)1.0368
Plasma TV (Samsung)250 (0)6.75
Phone1.5 (N/A)0.1944
Wireless Router2.5 (N/A)0.324
Wii16 (1)0.1296
Xbox 360100 (0)1.08
Cable Box22 (22)2.8512
   
Office  
   
Computer150 (2)19.44
Monitor25 (0)3.24
Computer (w/sleep)150 (2)3.456
Monitor (w/sleep)25 (0)0.54
Printer7 (0)0.9072
External DVD-R6 (9)0.7776
Speakers11 (6.2)1.4256
   
Kitchen  
   
Keurig5.4 (3.8)0.69984
Toaster950 (1.7)0.647055
Kitchenaid Stand Mixer90 (0)0.0324
   
Total Cost (w/o sleep) 41.317695
Total Cost (w/ sleep) 22.633695

2 comments:

Semi-sage said...

That is cool you you posted this. Very interesting. I will now try to turn off my computer faithfully.

Thanks @:-D

jdk said...

It's harder than you think. I should leave a note on the lamp on my night stand so it reminds me before I turn the light out.

In college I had a wireless mouse that I would always forget to set on the charger, so I put a post it over the monitor power button that said "Got Mouse?"

I stopped forgetting to charge the mouse, and I never forgot to turn off the monitor, because it bothered my roommate's sensitive eyes while he was sleeping if I left it on.

(I just put that last part in so I can find out if he reads my blog.)

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