I live in Masailand, on the outskirts of Nairobi. For the past 18 months I have tried to develop and operate a website www.karenchronicle.com on generator power. Last week we finally received mains supply. What a glorious moment. Just that magic moment when you say 'Let there be light' (click) "and light was over all." Soon I'll get used to it, but for now, share my joy.

by nrussell (See profile) - October 25, 2006 7:03 AM PDT

I am a huge fan of Kill-A-Watt, but I've found that TED...

http://www.theenergydetective.com/

...is even better. It tells you the total amount of electricity you are using in your whole house at any given moment and the total cumulative usage for the month.

I've gotten to the point now where everyday when I walk out the front door I can look at the TED display and know if someone left a light on somewhere in the house. It definitely makes everyone more aware of how much energy is wasted by leaving things on.

by bigjosh2 (See profile) - October 20, 2006 3:08 PM PDT

If there is any bane to my domestic and professional existence, it’s the omnipresent “wall wart”, those inexpensive low-voltage transformers that accompany almost any electronic gadget you buy, from your rechargeable shaver to your WiFi router. Unswitchable, they hang off their sockets making heat 24/7, even though most of the devices they power only require power for minutes, or even seconds per day.

I once had a client who was a total gadget freak, who would never come back from Asia, Radio Shack, or the Damark catalog without something in tow. Underneath his desk was a complete tangle of extension cords, power bars, and wall-warts. The mess got so bad that when he tired of one gadget he’d toss it, but would leave the associated cord and transformer because it was simply impossible to trace the wire back and identify which wall-wart belonged to it. Eventually, there must have been over a hundred transformers burning away, with perhaps a dozen or so actually in use. Other than being a total fire hazard, the upstairs home office became practically uninhabitable during the warmer summer months due to the excess heat from these things. (However, heating in winter was never a problem)

Most of the time, since these cheap transformers are usually purchased separately by the OEMs, they are rarely labeled even with the manufacturers name of the associated device. At time of installation, I now make a habit of labeling each one with what it is powering, so that should replace that device or have to check why it’s not getting power, I can at least identify what belongs to what.

What I’d like to see is the establishment of a low-voltage standard for such devices. We could then start pre-wiring homes and offices with high quality and efficient regulated power supplies for these devices. There’d be far less waste and heat. I suspect that it would also be safer.

by JohnMcGrew (See profile) - October 20, 2006 5:39 AM PDT

I'm in the energy effectiveness business and it constantly amazes me how hard businesses will work NOT to be energy effective. I'm not posting my company because I'm not trying to advertise. However, we commonly show businesses that they can get a reliable 40%-80% return on their energy effectiveness investments. Although it is typically a company's 3rd of 4rth largest expense almost no company manages it and therefore they have a hard time deciding to save it. My recommendation to business owners. THINK about saving energy. You'll wind up with a more profitable and more efficient business.

by JayL11 (See profile) - October 20, 2006 4:53 AM PDT