I've been walking around the flat sizing up my electric appliances. Given that I don't think of myself as a gadget freak, I'm surprised by how much stuff there is, either gently whirring away or sitting waiting for action.
In the kitchen there's the fridge, freezer, kettle, dishwasher, small TV, radio, washing machine and dryer. In the spare room, there is a radio, printer and scanner. In the bedroom, there is a stereo, two phone chargers, a hairdryer and a set of hair straighteners. In the sitting room, there's a floor lamp, cordless telephone, television, DVD player and a wireless Ethernet bridge.
That's more than 20 appliances, not counting two laptops and two smartphones which come and go daily. There are more radios in this house than there are people, and more often than not at least two of them are on.
Although the EDF Energy EcoManager starter kit only comes with three transmitters, it can take up to 14. Also, you can monitor multiple appliances simultaneously by plugging them into a multisocket adaptor, which is then connected to a transmitter.
My plan for the first week is to do nothing. I have no idea how much electricity I use, or which items use the most, so just plugging my appliances into the EcoManager and observing my own habits seems a good place to start. For obvious reasons the fridge and the freezer are excluded from the experiment, but other than that, every other appliance will come under scrutiny. So, too, will my own behaviour.
About the author
Hannah is a freelance journalist who lives in east London with her partner. Despite often being found watching TV while working on her laptop with the radio playing in the kitchen, Hannah considers herself environmentally aware: she takes a keen interest in growing her own vegetables and cycles to work. Here she re-evaluates her energy consumption at home thanks to EDF Energy's EcoManager.
