How To Track Your Appliance Energy Usage
Appliances are big, heavy, and necessary. They also use a lot of power. So which ones cost you the most? With electricity prices so high right now, you might be trying to find ways to slash those bills. We’re going to talk about some awesome gadgets that will help you track your electricity usage. This way, you can find out what appliance raises your AEP Ohio bill.
The Obvious Culprits
There are three big culprits to energy usage in your home: your heater, air conditioner, and water heater. You would think that these big energy siphons wouldn’t be the easiest to monitor. But, these appliances are either hardwired into your home or have big 220 volt plugs. Unfortunately, there isn’t really an option for monitoring these devices. However, you can hire an electrician install something like the Sense Energy Monitor into your breaker box. We do not recommend mucking around in your fuse box if you don’t know what you’re doing. Of course, you could replace these appliances with smart ones that offer their own monitoring. But that can be expensive. So apart from doing something dangerous or expensive, what’s option gives you the best electricity monitoring that you can control?
Stopping Appliance Power Drain
Everyone has heard of the dreaded “vampire energy” and how standby power sucks the life from your wallet. These sleep or standby modes allow for a small amount of power to be drawn so they can respond to remotes, show digital clock displays, or have usable power ports. If you want to crack down on vampires in your home, put down the garlic. Investing in power strips can help you stop vampire devices in their tracks. One simple flick of a switch, and you could be saving energy every day. Want to keep track of how much energy those vampires are using when they’re on standby? Try a smart power strip. This Kasa Smart Plug Power Strip works as both a surge protector and an energy monitor. This way, you can determine what the biggest drains of your power are, and turn them off and on individually.
Kill The Bill On Your Biggest Appliance
Some larger home appliances can be run through your standard outlet, rather than a big 220v plug. You can plug them in with a smart plug with monitoring. Alternatively, if you’re looking to really check and see what’s going on with your electricity, try a Kill-A-Watt. This device allows you to see reports on daily, weekly, or even monthly power usage for a single plug. While on one hand, this can show you what your power usage is, another great use for it is identifying appliances that need maintenance. If, for instance, your washing machine suddenly has a huge power spike, that may indicate something is wrong, and save you money on your electricity bill before it becomes a problem.
Take Control Of Your Electricity
From the big project to the quick additional plug, you can see where your electricity is going, and take steps to take control again. Try these little integrations, along with some other tips and tricks to reduce your electricity usage. Looking for another way to save on your electricity? Shop for a new plan at www.ohenergyratings.com