A common saying in the environmental field is "you can't manage what you don't measure." Some Massachusetts libraries are making it easier to measure your home or work's energy use by lending out energy kits and watt meters. Watt meters are simple devices that you plug you electronics into. They tell you how much electricity the device is using at that moment or can give you the average over time. I used one at my boyfriend's house to measure his large collection of audio equipment and we were able to figure out what should be put on power strips and shut off at night (and what used a minimal amount of energy, so I wasn't allowed to complain about it being left on...).
Below is a partial list of libraries that have watt meters available. Athol also lends out an energy kit, which includes a watt meter, tire pressure gauge, a hot water gauge, and books on how to save energy. If your library doesn't loan them out, consider asking them to buy one or reserve one from the Minuteman system (search kill-a-watt).
Courtesy of The Green Blog/Boston.com
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