P3 International P4460 Kill A Watt EZ Electricity Usage Monitor
by P3 INTERNATIONAL
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List Price: Our Price: $22.41 You Save: $37.54 (63%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of P3 International P4460 Kill A Watt EZ Electricity Usage Monitor
Customer Review: My review of the P4460 Electricity Usage Monitor
Summary: 5 Stars
Please read this entire review. There is an eye-opening surprise to the use of the P4460.
My office has been experiencing frequent partial power outages. Although we have a couple of uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) that are supposed to power the servers, telephone system, and a couple of administrative work stations in the case of power outages, we are finding that the battery back up supplies are simply shutting down without providing any power whatsoever to the hardware. We soon realized what was happening was that we had each UPS unit completely overloaded with too much equipment, so when the UPS battery was supposed to kick in, the UPS units would simply shut off completely, and we would lose all power.
Accordingly, I ordered the P4460 to take power readings of each piece of hardware so I could evenly distribute the power requirements over three different UPS units, thereby not resulting in overloading any one UPS.
Although each piece of equipment had a power consumption rating on its label, what I discovered with the P4460 completely shocked me. When each piece of equipment is powered up, there is a VERY sharp spike in power consumption, and the hardware's use of electricity reduces when the unit is up and running. For example, the phone system's video monitor power use was rated at 6 Volt Amps (VA), but when it powered up, it spiked to 85 VA. Likewise with Amps. Idle power was rated at 3 Amps, but spiked all the way to 68 Amps on startup. I found this to be the case with every piece of equipment. One server's idle power rating was 0.97 Amps and 90 VA, but on startup it jacked up to 1.92 Amps and 247 VA.
If I had only used each piece of equipment's listed power consumption on its label, I never would have known about the power spikes on startup, which, when combined, will absolutely overload a UPS, even though the combined idle power consumption falls within the UPS battery backup tolerances.
The P4460 is a terrific little unit and can even be used for extended periods of time for accurate power readings on equipment that cycles on and off, such as refrigerator compressors.
It's a bit more expensive than its smaller cousin, but worth every penny. Provides several types of readings and comes with very detailed instructions on how to use it so even a complete novice who knows nothing of electricity can benefit from its use.
I give this little unit a solid 5 stars.
Customer Review: Works great; fast results.
Summary: 5 Stars
I was amazed at some of the things I found around the house that draw power just sitting there doing nothing. This thing is easy to figure out and program in your cost per Kwh.
A couple of things I found by using this device:
-- the entertainment center costs me $11 a year to have just sit there in standby mode. This is a 32" LCD TV, surroundsound system, DVD player, Wii, and subwoofer all plugged into a Monster HTS 1000 MKIII PowerCenter with Clean Power Stage 2 (8 AC outlet, 2 coax, phone & network). If I watch a DVD or play the Wii, it costs me 40 cents a day, or about 3.33 cents an hour.
-- My gaming computer (Dual Core, 500 watt power supply and 19" LCD) cost me $99 a year to run 24 hours a day, 6 days a week. That includes the occasional laser printing and occasional 2.1 speaker usage. So I turn it off more often.
-- Cell phone charger: .86 cents a year, but when charging it costs me $1.73 a year.
-- New coffee pot costs me between 5-7 cents to brew a pot of coffee and let it sit for a couple hours.
-- Toaster at 350-degrees costs me about 11 cents an hour.
-- Dell laptop charger costs me about $1.70 a year to keep it plugged in. It's about a penny and hour to charge the laptop's battery.
-- NOAA handheld weather radio costs 86 cents a year to run 24/7
In the end, it seems like it is only really worth the trouble to unplug the entertainment center when not in use and turn off the computer more often. Sure, everything draws power, but we factored in the hassle of it versus the cost.
We have been unplugging stuff around the house when we are not using it, and began to wonder how much we are saving. This thing has helped out in deciding what's worth going through the hassle of unplugging each time, and the results are almost instantaneous. I highly recommend using this device to settle the score in the fight against wasted energy usage or even in helping decide which devices/appliances around your house aren't worth owning due to ridiculous power draws.
I'm still testing more items around the house, so check back later for updates.
Customer Review: Everyone should own one of these
Summary: 5 Stars
The P3 P4460 is one of those things that you never knew you needed until you have one. I was amazed at how much electricity some of my appliances used (space heater, 1500 watts!). I'm finding myself plugging most of my appliances and electronics devices in for a few days and seeing how much they are costing me per day/week/month/year. Definitely an eye opener. I will be saving more money in electricity in one year than this monitor costs due to my changed habits. When you see that a certain lamp costs $15 (or whatever) in electricity per year for every hour it's in use every day, it makes it much easier to remember to turn it off when not in use. This adds up fast.
Positive:
* Easy to use once you've read the manual.
* Can keep a running total of electricity used even after it's unplugged. It's sister product, the P4400, cannot do this.
* Does the math for you (cost per day/week/month/year) once you enter in how much you're paying for electricity per KW/H.
Negative:
* You must read the manual to understand how to use this to it's full potential. The interface is NOT intuitive.
* Must be plugged in in order to read the display.
* The display is not lit, so reading this under a desk or behind a cabinet can be a little awkward.
Other: Max 1800 watts of power can be monitored. I knew this ahead of time, but it would have been nice to be able to monitor my refrigerator or clothes dryer. I can't say this is a negative, however, because this limitation is documented and is quite reasonable.
Final thoughts: Buy this. You will save more in one year than this costs once you realize how much money you're throwing down the drain with appliances (lights, stereo, TV, whatever) that you keep on for no good reason.
Note: The first one I received has a display problem; some of the LED bars didn't work and made the display unusable. A replacement was promptly shipped from Amazon and the replacement works perfectly. No company can make sure 100% of their products work out of the box and this problem was resolved quickly, so I didn't knock off any stars for this problem. The quality of this monitor seems good.
Customer Review: Super Easy, Great Money Saving Device
Summary: 5 Stars
I am always fascinated by the number of electronic devices the average modern household uses. Many of us leave these "energy vampires" - like VCRs, DVDs, cell phone chargers and other things, plugged in all day long. They drain our electricity and rack up our electrical bills! How can you know how much money they cost you? The answer is the Kill-A-Watt device!
P3 P4460 Kill A Watt EZ Electricity Usage Monitor Operation of this device is VERY easy. You lug the Kill-a-watt into your power outlet. Then you plug your electronic toy into the Kill-A-watt! That's it! Instantly the device starts figuring out how much electricity the electronic object is using - EVEN WHEN IT IS OFF. A lot of devices like cell phone chargers sit there drawing electricity all day long.
For example, I leave my laptop plugged in all day. I have it "shut down" - but it's plugged in. It turns out I'm paying $3.76 a month to have it sitting there. I know that might not sound like a lot, but if you start multiplying that by all the other objects in your house that stay plugged in, it can add up quickly.
Just how much is that old computer of yours costing you? It might actually be MUCH cheaper to buy a new one that consumes far less electricity, rather than powering the old behemoth every month! You could be amazed at the amount of money you can save, just by unplugging some things when they're not in use. Invest in some power strips with on-off buttons. Turn them to OFF when the items are not in use, and see your savings soar.
I love that you can program in your current electrical cost - this is always found on your electrical bill. So for my home in Massachusetts that is $0.187 per kwh. The device then lets you see - at the touch of a button - how much the current object will cost you each hour, each day, each month, each year. The longer you leave the specific item plugged in, the more perfect your reading is, as it averages the device's fluctuations over day and night.
HIGHLY recommended. This is perfect for any frugal liver, to determine exactly what devices in their homes are energy hogs and to organize what to do about it.
Customer Review: Now I know what various things cost to run!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been able to trim my average $224 monthly utility bill to about $125 per month by converting to 100% CF light bulbs, even above bathroom vanities, and in overhead and outdoor spotlighting. I was very happy to see my bill drop by about $25-30 a month on an annual comparison basis. Next, we started unplugging and turning off fans and lights that were not being used and then turning the thermostat up a degree.
I added double layer window treatments as well to keep the heat out. Every improvement had paid for itself and sheer curiosity led to the P3 International Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor.
I plugged the power strip for my home entertainment center into this after plugging in my local utility rate, and then sat by with bated breathe waiting for the initial estimate. Nothing came through. I found out that this needed to run for at least a couple of days before it would come up with a number. Once I got a number I left it plugged in for a month and then checked again. Overall, I was very pleased. We have a 42" HDTV, HD-DVD player, xbox 360, stereo receiver with two speakers, Cable box, CD player, and a Squeezebox Duet system. Annually, the total cost is $54. I felt that was very reasonable, and it was nice to have a number. Next I plan to plug it into a lamp, and since all of our lamps are using the same bulb, I will be able to get a very good estimate of their annual (average) cost of operation as well.
If you're a big numbers person, or are looking to find ways to reduce your energy cost, this could lead you in the right direction, and it's a fun gadget to have.
Cons: screen is not too bright, and if you have it plugged in low behind things, it's hard to get to and read. Solution: buy a power strip liberator.
I think that the power companies should rent and/or loan these out to their customers (with a deposit of course). They're always trying to get people to use less energy, and this could be an affordable eye opener.