Electronic Energy Meter
The Electronic Energy Meter is a device that can help you save energy, save money and save the environment. It can also help you lower Kingston's greenhouse gas emissions 10 per cent (below 2000 levels) by 2014. That's the target set by the City of Kingston and the Kingston Environmental Advisory Forum (KEAF).
The Electronic Energy Meter can be borrowed for free from any public library in Kingston. The Meter can show you how much energy your appliances use.
Newer refrigerators, freezers, and clothes washers use far less energy and cost less to operate than old appliances.
|
ENERGY CONSUMPTION COMPARISON |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Sample Inefficient Unit |
Sample More Energy- Efficient Unit |
KWh/Year Savings |
Cost Savings per year in Kingston (approx. $0.09 per kWh) |
|
Appliance |
KWh Per Year Used |
Savings Per Year |
||
|
Refrigerator (18 cubic feet) |
907 |
478 |
429 |
$38.61 |
|
Ranges (30 inch) |
790 |
622 |
168 |
$15.12 |
|
Freezers - Standard Chest |
813 |
344 |
469 |
$42.21 |
|
Washer |
1243 |
267 |
976 |
$87.84 |
|
Dryer |
1214 |
912 |
302 |
$27.18 |
|
Dishwasher |
1213 |
422 |
791 |
$71.19 |
|
Total |
6180 |
3045 |
3135 |
$282.15 |
Replacing a refrigerator bought in 1990 with a new ENERGY STAR®-qualified model saves enough energy to light the average household for nearly four months.
ELECTRONIC ENERGY METER INSTRUCTIONS:
-
Set the meter. Press the down button until you see the "Price" balloon appear in
the display. Set price of $0.09 KWh (or the current marginal cost of electricity in
Kingston): toggle between the numbers using the up and down buttons, then press the
diamond "Price" button to select the correct number. To finish setting the price, keep
pressing the "price" button until all the lights stop flashing.
* If the battery has run out, plug the meter into the outlet before setting price.
-
Plug into outlet and plug in appliance. Plug the appliance you are measuring into
the unit.
- Top display: numbers related to Line Voltage (V), Line Current (A), and Wattage (W). Select using the up arrow.
- Middle display: Total Energy Used and Total Cost - these numbers are key to figuring out your potential energy savings. Select using the down arrow.
- Bottom display: keeps track of how long you have been measuring the energy use of an appliance.
-
Estimate your cost savings by:
Toggle to the KWh display in the middle display to find how many KWh your appliance used during the period measured. Now use that number to figure out its yearly KWh.For example:
Middle display = 2.48 KWh
Bottom display = 24:00:00
KWh/year = 2.48 x 365 = 905.2 KWh/year - Compare. Use this knowledge to compare the energy efficiency of your appliance to that of other appliances on the market. Look for the KWh/year rating on any appliance you consider buying.
- Experiment. Test your smaller appliances — like your stereo, coffee-maker, and microwave. These appliances often use energy even when they are off, because they remain in "stand-by" mode. This contributes to the so-called phantom load of energy used in your home. To quickly estimate the annual cost of an appliance's use of stand-by power, multiply its wattage by 0.8.
QUESTIONS?
Please send your questions and feedback regarding the Electronic Energy Meter to keaf@cityofkingston.ca
