Using my handy new WattsUp, I collected a trace of power of Katie’s Macbook Pro and compared to my work-issued HP 8510W. The HP’s thermal and power management leaves a lot to be desired, so I knew that the Macbook would be the runaway winner on this one. But it is very [...]
I received my WattsUp .NET a week or two ago and fiddled around with it a bit using its basic logging features. I’m happy to see that it reports 0.1W precision (compared with 1W on the Kill-a-Watt). Overall, the WattsUp seems like a nice device although it is a little tricky to use. [...]
My fascination with energy consumption is a long time coming, and I think I’m now arriving at a new level of need for information. OK, it’s not need, really. It’s intrigue. I’ve taken energy consumption measurements of most every household device that I own and I’ve even been tracking my monthly energy [...]
I was discussing with some friends the $1500 Federal Energy Tax Credit, particularly regarding the fact that it has been extended through 2010. One question that was raised - does that mean we can apply it both in 2009 and 2010 for a total of $3000 of tax credits? The answer is ‘no’. [...]
After watching on Craigslist for a while, I found a decent 20.6cf Kenmore energy star refrigerator. I’ve come to the conclusion that you pay a big premium for a bottom freezer model or refrigerator sizes greater than 21cf. I don’t think either of them deliver much in the way of energy savings [...]
Now that we’ve been in our house for a few years, I’ve seen enough electric bills to know that we really do consume a lot more energy here. This was particularly highlighted when I looked into adding solar panels to the house. What has perplexed me is why, exactly, this is happening. [...]
In my stereo cabinet, I have 8 devices, all of which have their own switches. . For the most part, when one is on, I want all of them on. And when I turn it off, I want to turn everything off. Needless to say, it is annoying to have [...]
Stephanie forwarded an email to us about One Block Off the Grid, an organization that purchases and installs solar in bulk, ostensibly passing the savings on to you.
I had thought a bit about solar before, but never seriously, because I didn’t want to lay out a ton of money only to find out that Oregon [...]
I’ve been researching energy consumption around our house a lot lately, as you will probably note in the next few blog posts that I will make. Last night, Katie and I were talking about my latest measurement - the total energy consumption of our internet hub and data storage. As it turns out, [...]
Now that we are parents, we don’t go out to the theater anymore, so it is exclusively DVDs at home for us. How much does it cost us?
Last night, using my trusty Kill-a-Watt, I measured how much energy it costs to watch a 2-hour movie using our stereo, dvd player and projector. [...]