Electric appliance monitors available

MEEKER — White River Electric Association (WREA) has a limited number of small devices designed to help track energy consumption in the home available for members to borrow. The Kill-A-Watt is an electronic meter that you plug your appliance into and then the device plugs directly into the wall outlet. The Kill-A-Watt will then measure the energy use of standard appliances.
As an added feature, the Kill-A-Watt has been programmed with the current WREA residential rate and will be available for WREA members for use in their homes to determine appliance costs.
The process is simple. The Kill-A-Watt measures electric usage and estimates the cost on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis. It is accurate within 0.2 percent and can be a useful tool for consumers wishing to make wise decisions with regards to reducing monthly electric bills.
Consumers can experiment with different appliances. A typical experiment might include plugging the Kill-A-Watt into a computer that is left “on” for a full day and then measure consumption when the computer is turned “on” only when being used.
In addition, the device could be useful in measuring the electric consumption of seasonal appliances such as space heaters or electric blankets and can help pinpoint an appliance that is beginning to fail and may be requiring more electricity to operate.
Devices are available to WREA members along with instruction sheets on proper use of the instrument. Kill-A-Watt devices are available to check out for one week. WREA members are encouraged to stop by the main office at 233 Sixth St. and sign up for the Kill-A-Watt loan program or call (970) 878-5041 for more information.