Find Your Power Hogs: How to Measure Appliance Usage
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Without measuring, saving power is guesswork. A meter shows you in minutes where energy goes.
The key points
- Plug the meter in, connect the appliance and let it run for several hours.
- Note standby and active usage separately.
- Multiply by your price per kilowatt-hour to see the cost.
- Replace or use the worst offenders less often.
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Bottom line
The step you will probably feel first: plug the meter in, connect the appliance and let it run for several hours. Start with one point, check the result after a few weeks, then build on your plan.