Kill-A-Watt

My daughter's college is having a contest among the dorms to see which dorm can reduce their energy usage the most. The program is called Kill-A-Watt. The dorm that wins the contest (lasts from February - April) is given the amount of money they save to spend as they choose. We started our own Kill-A-Watt program in our home this winter after seeing our November electric bill. While our usage had not really increased terribly, the rates had. And, it was time to seriously address the amount of energy we use in our home on a daily basis.

We began with an awareness campaign... my daughters called it nagging. Turn off anything you aren't using. Unplug anything you won't be using for a while.

It worked. We reduced our usage by 1,000 kW for the month of December. That was 1,000 kW less than the previous month's usage and almost 1,000 kW less than the same period one year ago... although this year the average daily temperature was 10 degrees colder.

One big factor was our supplementing our central heating source with a fire in our wood stove. This helped significantly. But, the other steps we took were not insignificant. We often discount how much energy that forgotten lamp is drawing or that those appliances that aren't in use but are plugged in are constantly pulling watts from the energy lines. Simply going as unplugged as possible adds up to several watts saved.

Of course there are several things one can do to reduce their energy usage including purchasing energy efficient appliances and reducing heat or A/C loss through caulking and sealing areas in the home. One can even use solar collectors or passive solar to heat spaces.

Then, there are the little things, several of which I've mentioned here and there in this blog. They include using the oven when it's cold outside and then when you're finished opening the door to let the heat in the room. Not using the drying cycle on the dishwasher, but again, opening the door and allowing the heat and moisture (winter is dry) into the room. Not using the dishwasher and handwashing dishes (gasp!) can save energy.

My oldest daughter suggested we hang-dry jeans and other items that take longer to dry... something she picked up from not wanting to spend more quarters in the dorm laundromat. This has the added frugal bonus of helping our clothes to last longer. A simple rack can be made or purchased from Linens-N-Things which makes hanging your clothes inside a simple, organized task.

Presenting energy savings as a Kill-A-Watt challenge can be fun and spark creativity. I was surprised at how my family has responded to our call for energy reduction at home. But, I'm even more surprised and inspired by what's happening at my daughter's college. These young women are really working to reduce their energy usage and I'll be interested to hear some of their creative methods for achieving their goals.