One of our many goals around the house this year is to reduce the amount of electricity we use. We actually notice a difference in our bill when we’re vigilant about turning off the entertainment center’s power strip, but we’re sure there’s hidden power hogs elsewhere in the house.

That’s where our newly acquired Kill A Watt EZ Electricity Usage Monitor is coming in handy. I can plug in almost any device, set the cost per kWh (SCE&G is charging me $0.094), and it will estimate the total cost per year/month/week/day (though, I recommend also buying a power strip liberator). Here are the first three things I measured:

• Simple lamp with CFL: $3.29 per year
• Entertainment Center (TV/DVD/Stereo/etc.): $95.51 per year
• Phone & Answering Machine: $4.95

This will give me a good roadmap for other devices in the house that should either be used in moderation, or turned off when not in use, helping us reduce our carbon footprint AND save a few bucks. I’ll be sure to post back here with a full report.