I was amazed at some of the things I found around the house that draw power just sitting there doing nothing. This thing is easy to figure out and program in your cost per Kwh.
A couple of things I found by using this device:
-- the entertainment center costs me $11 a year to have just sit there in standby mode. This is a 32" LCD TV, surroundsound system, DVD player, Wii, and subwoofer all plugged into a Monster HTS 1000 MKIII PowerCenter with Clean Power Stage 2 (8 AC outlet, 2 coax, phone & network). If I watch a DVD or play the Wii, it costs me 40 cents a day, or about 3.33 cents an hour.
-- My gaming computer (Dual Core, 500 watt power supply and 19" LCD) cost me $99 a year to run 24 hours a day, 6 days a week. That includes the occasional laser printing and occasional 2.1 speaker usage. So I turn it off more often.
-- Cell phone charger: .86 cents a year, but when charging it costs me $1.73 a year.
-- New coffee pot costs me between 5-7 cents to brew a pot of coffee and let it sit for a couple hours.
-- Toaster at 350-degrees costs me about 11 cents an hour.
-- Dell laptop charger costs me about $1.70 a year to keep it plugged in. It's about a penny and hour to charge the laptop's battery.
-- NOAA handheld weather radio costs 86 cents a year to run 24/7
In the end, it seems like it is only really worth the trouble to unplug the entertainment center when not in use and turn off the computer more often. Sure, everything draws power, but we factored in the hassle of it versus the cost.
We have been unplugging stuff around the house when we are not using it, and began to wonder how much we are saving. This thing has helped out in deciding what's worth going through the hassle of unplugging each time, and the results are almost instantaneous. I highly recommend using this device to settle the score in the fight against wasted energy usage or even in helping decide which devices/appliances around your house aren't worth owning due to ridiculous power draws.
I'm still testing more items around the house, so check back later for updates. P3 International P4460 Kill A Watt EZ Electricity Usage Monitor
I currently own two Kill-a-Watt P4460 meters. This usage meter has a memory hold over, so I can use these at circuits that are switched on and off. When the incoming electricity is shut off, the previous hours of use are kept in memory. When the electricity is turned back on, the meter will continue from where it left off. The older P4400 model does not have this hold over circuit. The P4460 is a great addition to the P4400 for studying home electical usage.
I give it **** because it could use a few improvements.
NOT because it didn't perform as expected.
Bottom line - great device. Works exactly as advertised.
I would recommend it to anyone interested in getting a
handle on actual electricity consumption and costs.
Best feature: The ability to enter your own actual cost per KwH
as taken from your utility bill.
Worst Feature: No battery backup for reading the collected data once
unplugged from the wall outlet. You have to plug the unit
back into the wall outlet to read the collected data.
Suggestions to the manufacturer:
1. Add a battery so the display can be read when not plugged in.
2. Include a short 12-14 inch extension cord so that you don"t have
crane your neck when reading the device while plugged into the wall
outlet. Some outlets are only 12-24 inches off the floor.
3. Make it 110/220 capable for 220V appliances.
4. Add a memory feature with a USB port to download and plot the data
over time in a spreadsheet.
5. Keep the price the same :-)
I have owned the original Kill a Watt for several years and find it to be a wonderful device with a few exceptions, however, the new updated unit is terrible.
The first and most important problem is that the display is not viewable unless you get down on the floor and use a flashlight. LCD displays have angles for best viewing and this one as most others are usually below the horizon of the display - so best contrast and readability occurs if you are looking up at the display from beneath it. In addition the mask for the display cuts off the top and prevents readings from any normal position.
Secondly the enunciators (labels that tell you if it is volts or amps) are tiny - so you not only need to get down on the floor with a flashlight but you need reading glasses as well to know which parameter the numerals represent.
I am fully cognisant of the fact that there is a memory and you can pull the item out of it's receptacle for a more convenient and better lit area. But where do you find one of those - no one places recepticles over head or at eye level that I know of - they are all about 1 foot off the floor. In addition the instantaneous reading of current (= not the electrical term) watts, or current volts, or amps is not memorized and pulling the device out of its working recepticle obliterates any instantaneous factor readings taken when you were measuring the device.
There are certainly many better ways to do the display - for instance locating the display on the top of the unit facing up. In addition a backlight could be added. And the parameters could be larger and clearer. In that way all you would have to do is bend down to find out your information.
I also find the menu system and toggling a big nuisance. The older unit was much easier to use. Each button had its own function. The readings were clear and straight forward - what you pushed was what you got. Now the menu and toggling system is obtuse, and time consuming. In addition in my unit the press switches did not work correctly - with sometimes nothing happening and other times it would jump three pushes with just one touch.
A last criticism is that the display should stay on when the unit is out of the wall. A small watch battery should be able to provide years of a nice contrasty display.
To sum thing up - I am very dissatisfied with its viewability and readability. It is very inconvenient to use. I am also dissastified with the logistics of the menu system - as it is haphazard and very poorly thought out. And I am dissastisfied with the control buttons which are intermittent and jumpy.
I will be returning my unit.'
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