by Tim Osland | Apr 20, 2018 | Blog, Electricity Bill, Energy Reduction, green ideas, hydro bill
Phantom power: your home’s devices and appliances, when plugged in, continue to draw power even when they are off
It is called “phantom” or “standby” power, and it could account for up to 10 per cent of your home’s energy use. The average home has 25 or more electronic devices that use phantom power, costing approximately $200 or more a year in electricity. (in a 2,000 sq ft home)
Track your phantom power with the MyEyedro Phantom Energy plugin. The MyEyedro software provides you with a 24 hour window of your phantom power usage.
How Do I Identify the “Phantoms”?
- Appliances with remote controls (TV, Video and Audio Equipment)
- Appliances with continuous digital displays (Clock on Stove, Coffee Maker)
- Appliances with rechargeable batteries (Cordless Phones, Laptops)
- Appliances with external power supplies (Cell Phone Chargers, Electronics)
How Do I Get Rid of the “Phantoms”?
- Plug devices into power strips – and turn them off
- Unplug appliances when not in use
- Use clocks powered by rechargeable batteries
When buying new appliances, choose appliances with low standby power and look for the Energy Star symbol
For more information on Home Energy Monitoring please visit https://eyedro.com/
by Stacey McCuaig | Jul 28, 2017 | Blog, Electricity Bill, Energy Reduction, green ideas, hydro bill
Big Savings with LED Lighting
*Based on 2 hours per day @ 0.10/kWh
Which Type of Light Bulbs Should you Choose?
In these days of rising electricity prices it may be time for a whole home light bulb retrofit. With a quick look at the above infographic it quickly becomes apparent that significant savings are to be had by swapping out incandescent bulbs for LED lighting.
Incandescent bulbs are inexpensive to purchase but tremendously inefficient as they dissipate most of the energy they consume as heat.
The cost of running one 60 watt incandescent bulb for 2 hours per day at 10 cents/kWh, would cost $4.38 per year. The 15 watt compact fluorescent equivalent would cost $1.10 per year and the LED version comparable to the 60 watt incandescent would only cost $0.66! Now multiply that by the average number of bulbs in a home.
The average number of light bulbs in a home is 24 according to Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency 2007 statistics. When you multiply the yearly dollar figures of the incandescent and LED bulb by 24 that’s when the savings opportunities really become obvious: $105.12 vs. $15.84!
While initially LED bulbs were quite expensive to purchase, they have in recent years come down in price and are now very affordable.
The advantages of LED lighting are clear:
- Extremely energy efficient compared to traditional light bulbs
- No toxic mercury risk like CFL
- Affordable
- Very long life if you purchase good quality bulbs (this may or may not apply to dollar store finds – caveat emptor)
Try a little experiment! Install each type of bulb one by one in a lamp and check how much power is being consumed using your Eyedro Real-Time Electricity Monitor. Saving electricity can be fun, saving money even better.
Ready to dig a little deeper into your energy usage?
by Stacey McCuaig | Apr 21, 2017 | Blog, Electricity Monitoring, Energy Reduction, green ideas, MyEyedro, Sustainability
Earth Day April 22nd, 2017: Environmental Stewardship with Eyedro Electricity Monitoring
Founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, the very first Earth Day was held in 1970 as a reaction to his concern that environmental issues were not considered important politically or by society in general. Senator Nelson’s initial efforts gave rise to world-wide environmental stewardship activities including the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act in the United States.
For additional biographical information on Senator Nelson and the founding of Earth Day check out Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Today, around the globe, more than 1 billion people participate in Earth Day events which are coordinated by the non-profit organization Earth Day Network.
Here in Canada, Earth Day activities include community tree planting, recycling seminars, volunteer litter clean up, and open house demonstrations at local composting facilities. For more information and programs in your community see Earth Day Canada.
How Can You Make a Contribution to the Global Environmental Movement?
- Grow your own food
- Compost your kitchen and yard waste
- Replace incandescent light bulbs with LED
- Walk, bike or carpool to work
- Use non-toxic cleaning products like baking soda and plain white vinegar
- Let Eyedro help you reduce your electricity consumption!
Eyedro electricity monitoring can help you with your personal commitment to energy reduction. With Eyedro you can see, in real-time, when you are using the most electricity and which appliances are the culprits.
Because the MyEyedro cloud interface is so accessible and responsive, it makes a great tool to help your whole family to form new conservation habits. Allow your children to participate and together we can create a more environmentally sustainable future for everyone!
Track and reduce your electrical consumption with Eyedro – because every day is Earth Day!
by Stacey McCuaig | Mar 21, 2017 | Blog, Energy Reduction, Green Energy, green ideas, Sustainability
Energy Reduction with Eyedro
eMERGE EcoMarket
March 25th, 2017
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Old Quebec Street Mall at 55 Wyndham Street
Visit Eyedro to learn how our electricity monitoring systems can help you with your energy reduction initiatives at home and at work. Green ideas from a great lineup of vendors.
Bring the family out to discover some innovative green energy and sustainability products and services.
Guelph eMERGE EcoMarket Details and participating vendors.
Guelph eMERGE EcoMarket March 25th 2017
Eyedro Booth at 10th Annual Guelph EcoMarket
The Guelph EcoMarket – showcasing a great roundup of green ideas companies in an awesome venue!
