11:00am Sunday 21st March 2010
By Emma Thomas
HOUSEHOLDERS can borrow a gadget from libraries in the Rochford district to help them go green, save energy and keep cash in their pockets.
Rochford District Council is giving residents the chance to use energy monitors to see exactly how much energy their appliances use.
The monitors, which can be borrowed on a library card, are available from libraries at Rochford, Rayleigh, Hockley, Hullbridge and Great Wakering.
The two-part gadget comes with instructions, but works by being clipped to a cable on the electricity meter. The device then sends a signal to a handheld monitor.
Terry Cutmore, Tory leader of Rochford District Council, gave the device a try for a few weeks, and was surprised at the results.
He said: “The energy monitor was very easy to use, and provided me with some interesting results.”
And although he had not yet received his electricity bill, Mr Cutmore estimated he would be saving between 5 an 10 per cent, judging by the difference in the number of kilowatts he was using up before and after trying the monitor.
He added: “I noticed by using some of my appliances differently I could save energy – and money. The main appliances I noticed that used large amounts of energy were the cooker and the vacuum cleaner, so I turned the cooker down slightly, sometimes used the microwave instead and thought a bit more about how often the vacuum cleaner was used, by trying to be less messy.”
Money can also be saved by using appliances at night, if people have a cheaper tariff on night time electricity.
Mr Cutmore added: “The energy monitor helps you to see in real time terms exactly how much money you are saving.
“My eyes have really been opened since using this device, and I think it will be of real benefit to householders to borrow one from their local library to see how much energy and money they can save in their household.”
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