Energy Savings
With everyone now focused on the benefits of living green, it's only natural that expectations be made of what's in it for those who've valiantly chosen to conserve the environment. Obviously, the safeguarding of the planet for future generations is an initial perk, but rewards to be realized in decades can often seem ineffective in the present moment. The quicker commendation of saving money on energy and electricity is something we can put to use right away. Increasingly more blogs have decided to concentrate on the energy-saving habits of green living, and conversely how living green can reduce your energy needs. The best 50 of those are here for you to peruse.
There are thousands of energy efficiency blogs and green blogs out in the blogosphere - but how many of them are worth visiting more than once or twice a month?
I'm a great admirer of good, subject-focused bloggers - that rare breed of bloggers who choose a topic, stick with it, explore its every angle, and present fresh, insightful perspectives on a daily or weekly basis.
Too many energy efficiency blogs, green blogs, and blogs in general seem to show bursts of activity - posts every day for a few weeks, then every few days, then only one a month. You stumble upon a blog that looks promising, only to find there haven't been any updates for half a year or more.
Saving Electricity with a Current Cost Meter
TheCurrent Cost meter is a simple device that measures how much electricity you are using at any given time. The current cost meter gets its data from a special clamp that transmits data from your electricity meter to the current cost meter. The special clamp is really easy to install, as it just fits around your incoming power cable. No electrician is needed.
Regardless of the size of your home, an energy consumption meter is really useful. With the Current Cost meter, you'll notice any sudden increases in power consumption (and cost!) when a device is switched on. You'll soon realize that kettles, heaters, washing machines, electric cookers and microwave ovens consume a great deal of energy!
When you've had the meter running for a couple of weeks, you'll soon work out roughly how much energy you use in the daytime or evenings. Just by checking the meter, you can quickly identify if you've left something on by accident. I have one of these meters myself, and I discovered that just having a USB dongle plugged into my PC used an extra 15W of energy!
If you're very computer literate (and geeky like me), then you can buy a USB adaptor lead that allows you to get data from the meter on your PC. A large number of IBM employees are running these at home due to a craze started by a chap called Andy Standford-Clark (just google his name to see why!). Roo Reynolds is one such chap, and Andy Piper has been dabbling with an application for the iPhone to view energy consumption.
There are a few energy consumption meters hitting the market now, and it depends on what features you want. However, I strongly recommend getting one. Particularly if you have kids, it's a great way to help them keep the electricity bills down!
This article was written by Dan Harrison who is a big fan of low power PCs and green gadgets. And in his spare time, he plays with his current cost meter
