A Penny Saved

Last night I applied for a grant – a journalism grant. I think there is about a one in a million chance that I’ll get it, but I had fun dreaming up an idea.

Here’s my idea: I’ll get a few power monitor and power use systems; ask women heads of households to work with me to install them in their homes; and then together we’ll tell the story of how knowing exactly how much power your electronics and home is using changes or doesn’t change power consumption practices. I wanted to focus on women because I wanted to whittle away at the stereotype that women fumble when it comes to electrical and mechanical systems. Besides, many of the women I know are very concerned with how rising energy costs are taking up a greater and greater share of the household budget. And finally, women are great networkers. If something is helping, they are going to share that information.

Like I said, getting my idea funded is a long shot, but getting these power monitors and power use systems into homes in the Haines Borough is as easy as ordering one of the monitoring devices. It would be great if one of our building supply outlets would pick these up so that we look at them and ask questions before we purchase them.

Tim June demonstrated a power monitor last Sunday for Earth Day celebrations at the Haines Borough Public Library. What you do is plug it into your outlet and then plug your appliance into it. You can then see how much electricity your appliance is using. Models for 110V appliances to look for are Kill A Watt (seems to cost between $18-24) , the Kill A Watt EZ, about $70, and Watts Up? . The Watts Up? product line has a range of models, including a model that can interface with a PC computer via a USB cable. Windows supported software allows access to the data table, offers charting and payback analysis, and permits the export of data. This product line seems to start at $100 and ranges up to $270 for the model that interfaces with a computer.

A power use system monitors the total electrical consumption of your home – all use rolled into one. It is not appliance specific. There is Cent-a-Meter, Power Cost Monitor (each about $160), or the Energy Detective (about $190). Brochures for all these instruments can be downloaded from the Power Meter Store.

People like to say, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” I think this is true. Power monitors give us the opportunity to measure daily use and make the changes we want to make, BEFORE we get the electricity bill! It’s a way, as they say, to “get rich slowly.” But before you pop for a power meter, consider this saying, "The cheapest unit of electricity is the one not used." Habitually unplugging will also help you "get rich slowly." That's what I'm going to do.

Thanks to John Hunt, KHNS, News Director, for the link J-Lab’s McCormick Tribune New Media Women Entrepreneurs initiative .