Ever wonder how much electricity your TV uses when it’s on, or even when it’s off? How about your microwave, your cable TV box, or your computer and printer?

 

PPL Electric Utilities is teaming up with local libraries to help area residents answer these and other questions, and to turn curious customers into energy sleuths.

 

In honor of Earth Day, the company will soon be offering to all public libraries in its 29-county service territory a special device that library patrons can sign out to learn how much electricity different items use.

 

The device, known as a Kill-A-Watt electricity monitor, offers a digital readout of electric use. Customers simply plug the monitor into a wall outlet and then plug the item they’re testing — such as a DVD player, toaster, cell phone battery charger or any other electrical appliance — into the Kill-A-Watt monitor.

 

“It’s a great little tool for peeking under your home’s hood and understanding how much electricity your appliances use,” said David G. DeCampli, president of PPL Electric Utilities. “We want to help customers learn ways they can save energy and reduce their electric bills.

 

“Customers may be amazed to see that some gadgets and appliances use electricity even when they’re off,” he said. “If they own a large, flat-screen TV, they may find it interesting to compare its electric use with other TVs they may own. Or they may be curious to see how much power a video gaming system draws.”

 

Customers can purchase their own Kill-A-Watt electricity monitor at the “e” Store.

 

The company is offering Kill-A-Watt electricity monitors to about 125 libraries, along with posters and simple instructions on using the device.

 

“Libraries are centers of learning in our local communities,” DeCampli said. “And this is just another service they can provide to a public increasingly interested in ways to save energy and help protect the environment.”

 

DeCampli said customers can take their investigation a step further by using the company’s online Energy Analyzer. The Energy Analyzer lets customers view their daily and hourly energy use, analyze their homes for opportunities to save, and see how their home’s energy use stacks up with similar homes.

 

Customers can also use energy calculators at www.pplelectric.com to see how much they could save by replacing many different types of appliances with new energy-efficient models.

 

The “e” Store offers PPL Electric Utilities’ customers a 20 percent discount on all of their purchases. Run by an independent, nonprofit organization, the “e” Store contains hundreds of energy-efficient items. PPL Electric Utilities does not profit from purchases made at the “e” Store.