Lower Your Bills With Your Library Card

Want to measure the amount of energy being used by the appliances in your home? Want to determine how much money you're wasting on your energy bill? All you need in Del Ray is a library card.

As part of Alexandria's Eco-City initiative, Duncan Library has five Kill A Watt meters available for checkout. These meters allow users to measure not only the amount of energy used when appliances are running, but also how much they're using when they're plugged in but not in use.

"They've been pretty popular," said Renee Dipilato, Duncan's branch manager.

The meters, which are about the size of a child's nightlight, come in a plastic bag with an easy to read operation manual. The manual has instructions on how to use the meter's reading to calculate the cost of running an appliance and it's monthly phantom power load (plugged in but not in use).

The meters can also be used to compare the wattage of old appliances to the specifications of the new appliances users are thinking about purchasing. The manual offers a formula to calculate potential energy savings.

"Del Ray does seem to be a community with a lot of interest in green issues," said Marilyn Doherty, Duncan's circulation manager. "We also get a lot of people who use 'Consumer Reports,' so (the meters) are something those people are interested in."

The Kill A Watt meters were first made available at Duncan Library at the end of April and have been checked out more than 60 times since their arrival. They are also available for check out at Beatley Central Library.