Saw these at Dedham, MA clearanced at $19.99 (see update below) from the original of $26.99 which was already a good deal. As always, Costco clearance is most often store specific. However, it's worth checking your own store if you are there anyway. Currently $34.91 on Amazon
Costco item # 373064
Update: Confirmed (Dedham, MA only, other stores YMMV) that the price has dropped to $14.99 as of 11/19/2009
Great deal. Picked up one at normal price and thought that was a good deal.
I ahve noticed these piling up at several costcos. Sadly people don't really know what these are for or how to use them. I've bought and offered them to people, but it's not a very exciting topic for people I guess....
Yes people don't realize that a $20 investment can give you thousands in saving in few years, by selecting energy efficient product and unpluging others. Like the people that buy the Magic Jack over the Ooma and don't put in the equation the energy cost. Anybody knows if there is a version of this for 220V (to send to my parents overseas)?
sombec said: Yes people don't realize that a $20 investment can give you thousands in saving in few years, by selecting energy efficient product and unpluging others. Like the people that buy the Magic Jack over the Ooma and don't put in the equation the energy cost. Anybody knows if there is a version of this for 220V (to send to my parents overseas)?
I'm pretty sure that there is a 220V Kill-a-Watt. Just not at Costco.
For those who have used this...what devices have you found to be worth unplugging when not in use? There are certain things that I use frequently enough that it would be more hassle than it's worth to plug in before each use, but there are some things that could be worth it (used less frequently). I'd love to hear some actual experiences in using this, the changes you've made and the savings you've gained from doing so.
Seeing how much power my computer is actually using has been helpful for me. I now choose parts based on the power they use instead of their overall speed and have cut my computer's power usage in half over a couple years' worth of upgrades.
Chuck101 said: Seeing how much power my computer is actually using has been helpful for me. I now choose parts based on the power they use instead of their overall speed and have cut my computer's power usage in half over a couple years' worth of upgrades.
Hey Chuck, I'd chose speed over power consumption any day!
soarwitheagles said: Chuck101 said: Seeing how much power my computer is actually using has been helpful for me. I now choose parts based on the power they use instead of their overall speed and have cut my computer's power usage in half over a couple years' worth of upgrades.
Hey Chuck, I'd chose speed over power consumption any day!
BTW, is your last name Green?
Soar
Well, Chuck could say that he could be faster and dumber or slower and smarter and he chooses the latter. Just because he cut his power consumption doesn't necessarily make him Green. Does your fast computer run at 100% capacity all day long? If no, think about the money you are wasting for all the time the computer is using less than 100% of the fast resources in it.
Houston Willowbrook has a ton of these. Sadly, they are at the regular $26.50 or whatever. Maybe they'll be on clearance by Thursday, when I leave for ten days.
One surprise with my Killawatt was my Bose RadioWave it was using 15 Watt when it was off. Now I have it with a power strip with a switch.
Other big surprise for me was the difference or non difference in power consumption between Fans. A big Fan can use 80 to 120 Watts a small fan can use 60 to 80 Watts but it only moves a third of the air, big fans are much more efficient. Also the the low speed uses almost the same energy than the high speed. So a big size fan at high speed is the most efficient.
LCD Tvs in the brightest setting use almost twice the energy than in less brighter setting. I have most of my Tvs in the middle setting, not too dim for daylight and not that bright for the night. If you have a TV that adjust the brightest on its own is great feature.
I agree....... my sound system uses around 15 watts off, and radios all use lots of watts off.
I also notice my HD Sat box use the same amount of watts on or off.
LCD TV is the same.....more bright=more power
and some LED bulbs I bought... use more watts than the Mfg. lable suggests(almost double).
overall my refrigerator uses the most energy...around $10 a month according to the the Kill-A-Watt.
sombec said: One surprise with my Killawatt was my Bose RadioWave it was using 15 Watt when it was off. Now I have it with a power strip with a switch.
Other big surprise for me was the difference or non difference in power consumption between Fans. A big Fan can use 80 to 120 Watts a small fan can use 60 to 80 Watts but it only moves a third of the air, big fans are much more efficient. Also the the low speed uses almost the same energy than the high speed. So a big size fan at high speed is the most efficient.
LCD Tvs in the brightest setting use almost twice the energy than in less brighter setting. I have most of my Tvs in the middle setting, not too dim for daylight and not that bright for the night. If you have a TV that adjust the brightest on its own is great feature.
To put some dollar figures to the quoted numbers: 15W constantly is 11 kWh/month. Since I use more than the 'baseline' amount, my marginal cost for power is in the 35-45 cents per kWh (California). This adds up to $50 a year-- just to have a freakin' radio plugged in!
snowcrash
Senior Member
posted: Nov. 10, 2009 @ 7:21a
sombec said: Yes people don't realize that a $20 investment can give you thousands in saving in few years, by selecting energy efficient product and unpluging others. Like the people that buy the Magic Jack over the Ooma and don't put in the equation the energy cost. Anybody knows if there is a version of this for 220V (to send to my parents overseas)?
Ooma $240 MagicJack $40
What are you saying here? Oh, I get it, you're saying that people with a MagicJack need to leave their PC on 24/7. Yeah, I guess you have a point there.
SelfGovern said: Houston Willowbrook has a ton of these. Sadly, they are at the regular $26.50 or whatever. Maybe they'll be on clearance by Thursday, when I leave for ten days.
19.99 is a great price on the P4460. However, I don't really see the big advantage of the P4460 over the P4400. As far as I know, the primary advantage is it calculates the costs from the KWH usage, whereas the original unit gives you the KWH usage and lets you do the multiplication.
I too was surprised to find that my PC speakers consume probably 6-7 watts when off, and 14 watts when on (while not in use). Compared to about 1-2 watts on both my computer and monitor when off. The two biggest problems are that you often don't know how much something consumes until after you buy it since the information is rarely published (or published accurately) and the corollary is that you rarely know what a reasonable amount of consumption is. I was able to use it to help reduce my power consumption on my computer and figure out how much power my fridge and other large appliances were using.
It can also Calculates cost and forecasts by week, month and year...
hpmax said: 19.99 is a great price on the P4460. However, I don't really see the big advantage of the P4460 over the P4400. As far as I know, the primary advantage is it calculates the costs from the KWH usage, whereas the original unit gives you the KWH usage and lets you do the multiplication.
I too was surprised to find that my PC speakers consume probably 6-7 watts when off, and 14 watts when on (while not in use). Compared to about 1-2 watts on both my computer and monitor when off. The two biggest problems are that you often don't know how much something consumes until after you buy it since the information is rarely published (or published accurately) and the corollary is that you rarely know what a reasonable amount of consumption is. I was able to use it to help reduce my power consumption on my computer and figure out how much power my fridge and other large appliances were using.
wonderdrug
Member
posted: Nov. 11, 2009 @ 12:46a
If you think that is surprising, I figured out that my Tripp Lite power bar/surge protector consumes 4 watts even with nothing plugged in (however, it goes to zero when it is switched off). So, a little tip: turn off those surge protectors even though the devices plugged in are off.
hpmax said: I too was surprised to find that my PC speakers consume probably 6-7 watts when off, and 14 watts when on (while not in use).
raringvt said: For those who have used this...what devices have you found to be worth unplugging when not in use?My PC speakers draw about 15 watts when the computer is off. To solve that, I got a smart power strip that automatically turns off the accessories when it senses that you turned off your PC. I also have a small 15 watt desk fan (Vornado Zippi) plugged into it, so I don't have to remember to turn of the fan since it also shuts off when I turn off the PC. Not a huge power savings, but the same idea could be used for much more power hungry computer accessories, if you had any, or with a stereo/home-theater system to really turn off items that draw a lot of power when allegedly "off".
One nice thing I've determined via my Kill A Watt power meter is that many items draw 0 watts (realistically, less than 1 watt) when not being used, so I can leave them plugged in forever, like my cell phone charger and many other things.
I also used it to see how much less power my computer used after I replaced the stock power supply with an 80 plus certified power supply: It was a very respectable change.
nottingham said: Does anyone know how much power Modem & Router draw?
Yes.
Oh, did you want more information? Perhaps the least you could do is tell us which one you're using. there must be, what? 60,000 different modems and routers out there. Hint: They do not all use the same amount of electricity.
For now, just go with 60 kilajoogles on the modem, and 17-20 Klaatus on the router.
I saved about 20% every bill since I got the kill-a-watt.......
svnakhare
Member
posted: Nov. 16, 2009 @ 4:54p
Thanks OP... picked one up at the Dedham, MA Costco today for $14.99. These have been marked down further (at least in the Dedham store) from $19.99 to $14.99 now.
The store still had around 30 odd units left. Btw, the inventory computers at the store still showed the item priced as $26.99 but the actual aisle had the reduced pricing of $14.99. So if you CALL a store and ask for the price, then you might be told the regular price of $26.99 (it'd be someone looking at the computer and telling you). Better go down to the store and check (if it is a short enough trip)!
dvpatel said: soarwitheagles said: Chuck101 said: Seeing how much power my computer is actually using has been helpful for me. I now choose parts based on the power they use instead of their overall speed and have cut my computer's power usage in half over a couple years' worth of upgrades.
Hey Chuck, I'd chose speed over power consumption any day!
BTW, is your last name Green?
Soar
Well, Chuck could say that he could be faster and dumber or slower and smarter and he chooses the latter. Just because he cut his power consumption doesn't necessarily make him Green. Does your fast computer run at 100% capacity all day long? If no, think about the money you are wasting for all the time the computer is using less than 100% of the fast resources in it.
Dv,
It is obvious both your computer and your gray matter are runnin' a bit slow...I also suspect your shoes squeak when you walk...
iatacs19 said: Does this model have a battery? My older model loses all the kW/h calculations if the power goes out.Yes, this model has a battery. I just got one for $17.99 at the Sterling, VA Costco even though I also already have the original P4400 non-battery model.
glenatuf said: Great deal. Picked up one at normal price and thought that was a good deal.
I ahve noticed these piling up at several costcos. Sadly people don't really know what these are for or how to use them. I've bought and offered them to people, but it's not a very exciting topic for people I guess....
Or ... people do really know what these are for and how to use them and just realize its easier and cheaper to turn off a light or fan or computer when not in use.
snowcrash said: sombec said: Yes people don't realize that a $20 investment can give you thousands in saving in few years, by selecting energy efficient product and unpluging others. Like the people that buy the Magic Jack over the Ooma and don't put in the equation the energy cost. Ooma $240 MagicJack $40
What are you saying here? Oh, I get it, you're saying that people with a MagicJack need to leave their PC on 24/7. Yeah, I guess you have a point there.Energy usage for a MJ computer can vary alot. If you use a big honkin desktop, it'll waste alot of juice. I use a low-power laptop that sips ~14W, and it's something I use for file-serving anyway so it's no extra juice to run MJ.
jellysandwichx said: Is it bad to plug the killawatt into a surge protector/power strip? Or should you always plug it into the wall directly?Any way you want to connect it is fine.
raringvt said: For those who have used this...what devices have you found to be worth unplugging when not in use?Refrigerator: 60-180W (cycles periodically to full power)
Vornado air filter: 60W on the low setting
Low power laptop type PC: 14W idle
Desktop Athlon X2 550: 150-250W
Popcorn Hour media player: 7-10W (7W in "Standby" mode)
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