I was reading an article in the most recent National Geographic magazine about the electrical grid. It was just another reminder that I’d like to use less electricity myself. When possible, I’ve tried to get energy efficient appliances. I do my best to turn off devices when I’m not using them. Yet I still use quite a lot of electricity.

One of the hardest things is knowing exactly what devices are using the electricity so that you can either cut back or eliminate them altogether. That’s where the Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor comes in handy. Just plug a device into the Kill A Watt and it will tell you just how much electricity is being used. Best of all, it costs less than $20. This is the basic model If you want a fancier model, you might look at the P4480 Kill A Watt which features a bigger screen and programmability. If you use it to identify some of the bigger electricity users in your house or office, you can easily save the money you spent on the device. Plus you’ll feel like you did a little more to help the planet.