New Instructional Videos Help Mainers Get the Most Out of Electricity Monitors

Mainers are a frugal lot and always on the lookout for ways to better manage and reduce household expenses. Efficiency Maine is happy to help by offering tips and tools for managing electricity consumption and costs. For instance, one easy, do-it-yourself resource homeowners and tenants can use is an electricity monitor. To help make this handy resource more convenient and easier to use, Efficiency Maine has recently produced two new instructional videos that can be found on our website.

Electricity monitors enable residents to monitor and measure their electricity consumption by showing how much electricity their home devices consume on a monthly and yearly basis. Efficiency Maine has been working with libraries across the state since 2008 to supply most of Maine’s libraries with electricity monitor kits that can be borrowed free of charge.

Each kit includes an electricity monitor, a 25-page home energy efficiency tips booklet, instructions on how to use the electricity monitor, and educational activity worksheets for families and children. Maine residents can also download instruction sheets on how to use the monitors from Efficiency Maine’s electricity monitor loaners initiative webpage.

It’s easy to get started. Here’s how:

1. Check out a monitor from your local library.
Maine residents can borrow a monitor free of charge from participating Maine libraries. If there is no library in your town, we recommend visiting the Maine State Library’s website to find out how you can request materials via postal mail.

2. Choose a device or appliance in your home to measure.
We recommend beginning with a device in your home that has a constant power supply, such as a television or charger, rather than a device that cycles, such as a refrigerator or a dehumidifier.

3. Locate the Efficiency Maine electricity monitors instruction sheet for your monitor.
Efficiency Maine’s electricity monitors instruction sheets can be found in the kit that you’ve checked out from your library or on Efficiency Maine’s website.

There are two different instruction sheets, one for monitor “Type A” and one for monitor “Type B.” Find and use the correct instruction sheet based on which of the two monitors your local library provides.

Type A

Type B

Efficiency Maine recently updated both instruction sheets, including revising the formulas to reflect current energy prices, making the step-by-step process of using an electricity monitor even smoother.

4. Follow the instructions to get your device’s electricity reading.
Follow the step-by-step instructions on the instruction sheet to get your device’s electricity reading. For added ease, we recommend printing out the instruction sheets and writing down your findings.

Once you have your reading, use the formula at the bottom of the instruction sheet to calculate your usage.

5. Use your findings to determine if you want to adjust your energy usage.
Once you’ve measured the energy used by your devices, you’re ready to begin to manage your energy consumption. Consider using some of your higher-consumption devices less often or consider switching to more efficient alternatives. Monitoring and measuring your electricity consumption can be educational, easy, and fun – especially if you turn it into a family activity – and may have the potential added benefits of reducing energy consumption and costs.

For more information about the electricity monitor loaners initiative, visit efficiencymaine.com/at-home/electricity-monitor-loaners/. For libraries that don’t yet have monitors and are interested in receiving them, please can contact us at info@efficiencymaine.com. For more information about efficient technologies rebated by Efficiency Maine, visit efficiencymaine.com/at-home/.

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