What watt meter?

[dr_when]

Can anyone recommend a good and inexpensive ac watt meter that they have used? I am looking for something that will measure true ac wattage along with apparent power.

Thanks!!!

Bob

[Will]

Hi1 Dr When - I just ordered a device from Heartland, Florida and it is listed as a kWh meter - accpording to the picture and description, you just plug it into a normal wall outlet and then plug into to it the device you wish to monitor - The picture just shows a device with a three digit LCD display. The cost was just about $30.00. If you are interested will pass more info on it when I receive/try it. The reason I ordered it is that I suspect my fridge of costing me about $30.00/Mo and deciding that, if such is the case, it has to go.

[moe]

Dr. When
I use a AMPROBE model ultra that has given me many years of service I also ued a Amprobe Digital amp meter this one will show start up current I have seen amprobes on ebay and garage sales for around $20.00 I have also seen a model called KILL A WATT it is a plug in unit with a digital display for under $40.00
Moe

[dr_when]

Hi Will,

I would be interested in the KWH meter you mentioned. I am interested in determining the true power consumed by various devices (such as the fluorescent light bulb replacements) to see if in actual use the power is what they claim. I would be interested too if someone has used the Kill a Watt devices and are they at all accurate? Wouldn't mind knowing power used by the fridge, etc. just to see how they impact energy bills throughout the year.

Thanks,

bob

[haklesup]

In that case look at the Kill-A-Watt meter (it must be what Will got)

http://www.p3international.com/products ... 00-CE.html

It sells for $20 to $40 depending on where you get it.

Its downfall is the lack of digital interface or memory for charting usage over time. I hear there is a better one but I don't know who makes it.

It is useful for determining power used but if you want to see how much the fridge costs to run, you need to leave it connected for about a week. Most fridges use about the same amount of current for the compressor etc, it's how often it needs to run that determines the cost of ownership. The meter has a cumulative KwH counter and hour counter but it forgets as soon as you unplug it because it is line powered.

I plan to use mine to figure out how much energy is saved by cooking in a microwave as opposed to a stove or oven. (actually hotplate or toaster oven since the full size ones are 220V and hardwired). I feel this is an under-recognized energy savings measure.

Some pricier units can be found here
http://www.powermeterstore.com/index.php?s=g

[russlk]

When I unplugged my 20 year old chest freezer, my electric bill dropped $60!

[dr_when]

haklesup,

Bought a kill-a-watt from Think Geek and works like a champ. Does all that I needed it to do.

Thanks.