Watts killing you? The Library can help you figure out home electricity usage. Ask for a Kill A Watt™ meter next time you’re in an Arlington Public Library, or search the library catalog and reserve one with the Place Hold button. Take it home and connect your appliances to measure how efficient they are. Figure out your electrical costs by the hour, day, week, month, year. Then you can consider if power hungry appliances can be replaced with more energy efficient ones, or if some just need to be unplugged when not in use–like the energy vampires!

According to EnergyStar, much of the power to home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. Features like clock displays and remote controls are good examples. The average U.S. household spends $100 per year to power devices while they are in this “standby” power mode. Using less energy preserves energy resources and helps reduce the risks of global warming while saving money on energy bills.”

Check out the Kill A Watt meter like a book, but it’s due in 7 days with 2 optional renewals. Overdue fees are $.30 per day.

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