Letters to the Editor
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Getting a power meter is really a good step, but watch that PC.
Getting a power meter is a really good step. You can get good ones for less than $10 and it's an investment that really pays. Because you can take the thing into those giant electronic stores and measure the power consumption of TVs and other devices before buying them. The fun thing is that with this device, you can instantly calculate the yearly power consumtion in dollars - something that could motivate you.
Once you've bought a power meter you will also notice that your PC uses a lot of power, too. By switching to a laptop for most tasks, you'll might save enough energy to run a smaller fridge. My laptop uses 40W, my PC+Screen over 160W. (My fridge is around 110W). Cheaper laptops might use twice as much energy, still you save a lot if you move all your overnight downloading to a laptop computer.