Greg,

Usually, any electrical appliance "uses" electricity when it is turned on.
A light bulb is a perfect example.  Zero usage when off.

However:  Many of todays appliances are "always on" using just a little bit
of electricity.  If you can turn on an appliance with a remote control (TV,
VCR) then that appliance is using "some" electricity to provide that
funcationally.

It is very difficult to get your electric meter to stop.  Here are a few
things that will keep it going:

Attic exhaust fan (sensing the temperature)
Doorbell transformer
Heat/Air conditioning sensor (what do you call that thing on the wall?)
Garage door opener

Since I live in CA, I did the following:  I found all the little
transformers that plug into the wall.  (Usually chargers of some type.)  I
put all of them I could on a power strip and only "charge" two hours a day.
 Then I turned off the patio/walkway lights, extra clocks etc.  The net
result was a savings of 100 watts/hour.  I know that doesn't sound like a
lot, but is was each and every hour of the day.  (2.4 kilowats/day)

If you haven't had experience with electrical work, I don't recommend that
you get a VOM meter to measure the appliances.  Just look at the labels as
another poster stated.

You can unplug the TV, VCR type devices, but there is a downside.  The
savings will be small.  And the wear and tear on the unit will be increased
because these devices keep a small amount of electricity going thru the
circuits.  When you turn them on, they don't get the "surge" of electricity
that a completely off device gets.  Therefore, they last longer.

Good luck,

Ric



At 12:07 PM 1/23/2001 -0500, you wrote:
>X-no-Archive:yes
>If anyone knows of the existence or availability of a device to directly
>measure the amount of electricity consumed by an appliance, presumably by
>plugging the appliance into this device, and this device into the outlet, I
>would welcome that. Electronics and electricity are other areas where my
>ignorance runs deep. I am unwilling to unplug everything in my house except
>the appliance in question for an hour or more (which I think would be
>necessary for anything that can cycle on and off, like a refrigerator,
>heater, or air conditioner), and take readings from the electric meter. And,
>like Heisenberg's thermometer, I expect that the device itself would use
>some amount of electricity (although it could run on batteries) or affect
>the electricity by introducing it's own impedance. But since I am imagining
>a hypothetical device, my notions of its other properties are likely to be
>less than realistic. I couldn't even guess what to enter into a search
>engine, or where to look for such a thing.
>
>Greg Stigers
>http://www.cgiusa.com
>
Ric
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