I recall Home Depot having a display that showed how many watts were being used
by different light bulbs.  If they can do this I'm sure there's devices out
there.

[log in to unmask] 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