Earth Day may not be known as a gift-giving holiday, but if I were to recommend a gift, it would be the Kill A Watt by P3 International. I know, I know—you may assume that I’d prefer something like a brand new LED bollard light or some energy-efficient sports lighting, but even I, Dr. Bulb, like to play sometimes.
The Kill A Watt helps cut down on energy costs by discovering the energy that electrical products use and which ones are worth keeping plugged in. After connecting something like a stereo amplifier or an appliance to the wattmeter, it will assess how efficient they are in kilowatt-hours when they are on and off. You can also easily calculate the electrical expense for that item by the day, week, month and year.
The wattmeter can be extremely useful to identify lighting that uses an unnecessary amount of energy too. Today, energy-efficient lighting continues to advance while the cost decreases. Why keep an outdated 100w lamp while some 10w LED lamps produce more light at a higher CRI? The Kill A Watt tells you exactly what lighting needs to be updated. And, personally, I find it pretty entertaining to run around my home finding the wattages of various appliances. Does that make me a nerd? Who cares?
Give a man an LED lamp and he’ll save energy for twenty years. Teach a man about energy-efficient lighting, and he’ll save energy for a lifetime. To celebrate Earth Day, let’s focus on technologies like the Kill A Watt that give us the knowledge to replace energy-hogging lighting and appliances.
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Photo: Amazon