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May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
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The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
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The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
How Stuff Works: How saving money on electricity works
By
Marshall Brain
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT)
Recently the Brain family was shopping at a local discount store and there on the shelf was the Black and Decker power monitor for less than half price.
Looking at the package this seemed like a great device for any gadget geek, so of course I bought it. Leigh was highly skeptical.
The idea is simple: the device lets you see your home's power consumption in real time in terms of either energy or dollars. At this exact second my house is consuming 400 watts, or 5 cents per hour. My house has consumed 15 kilowatt-hours since I pushed the "clear" button last night. You can program in your electricity rates and it will tell you the energy usage in dollars and cents. It will also estimate the month's energy bill based on the history it has seen.
There are two parts to the device: 1) a transmitter part you attach to your power meter and 2) a wireless receiver that displays the data. It took about 5 minutes to install the transmitter (but one caveat is it only works on certain meters). As soon as the transmitter was installed, the receiver started displaying data.
Holding the receiver in my hand, I had this strange revelation. I was able to see money draining out of my pocket minute by minute. For example, when the dryer turns on, the house's power consumption jumps up to 5,000 watts. That means if the dryer runs for an hour, it costs 53 cents. Turn on the space heater and it uses 1,200 watts. If it runs for 8 hours it costs a dollar. One thing that was obvious about 20 minutes after installing the power monitor is the lights in our kitchen consume 400 watts when they are on, and they are on a lot. We have fluorescent bulbs in many light fixtures, but not in the can lights in the kitchen. If they are on for two and a half hours, it costs a dime.
We might try to find fluorescent bulbs to go there.
You might be thinking a dime doesn't matter. The problem is it adds up. Those lights in the kitchen are on about 5 hours a day. That's 20 cents a day. Over the course of a year that adds up to $73. I don't know about you, but if someone handed me $73, I would be excited.
Here is the most interesting thing the power monitor revealed: My house burns 300 watts all the time. Twenty-four hours a day, 7 days a week, it is always burning 300 watts. If the refrigerator or freezer turns on, or if a furnace kicks in, or someone turns on a light, it burns more. But even when everything is off, my house is burning 300 watts. That's about $1 a day, or $365 per year.
The obvious question: where is that $365 going?
The kids and I investigated with a little device that lets us calculate the energy use of a single appliance, and what we found was interesting. In the guest bedroom there is a TV, an old XBox, a VCR and a switching box. None of it is on, but it is all sitting in standby mode. Together these devices consume 17 watts. We put them on a power strip and turned them off. We found a 15 watt (fluorescent) bulb in one of the attic spaces that had been left on, so we turned it off.
The humidifier, when it is turned off, has a display that shows the current humidity and the water level. It uses 16 watts. Humidifier season is over, so we put it in the garage. The laser printer uses 4 watts when it is sitting there doing nothing. We now turn it off unless we are printing. Standby power for our "main TV" and its accessories is 20 watts. We put it on a power strip too and cut if off when we aren't using it.
All of that together is saving us $70 per year. We will be able to save another $100 per year by swapping out light bulbs in high-use areas. $170 is real money.
Even though Leigh was skeptical when I bought the power monitor, she's a believer now.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
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Previously:
How whiskey works
How IQ tests work
How a quartz watch works
How ice skating rinks work
How glass works
How blimps work
How space stations work
How toasters work
How a cell phone works
What went obsolete in the last decade?
How cholesterol works
How leather works
How vaccines work
How the smart grid works
How sea level works
How employee screening works
How to avoid catching a cold
How bread works
How a home energy audit works
How Omega-3 fatty acids work
Social networking
How trick birthday candles work
How electric cars like the Nissan Leaf work
How a manned mission to Mars works
How gold works
How bad breath works
How the ultimate sunglasses work
Any rocket is easily converted to a missile
How to have a great staycation
How a black box works
How a solar roof works
How nuclear bombs work
How the Hubble Space Telescope works
How hay fever works
How to know when to rent vs. buy
How swine flu works
How a kidney dialysis machine works
How children die in hot cars
How a trillion dollars works
How electronic cigarettes work
How chimpanzees work
How in vitro fertilization works
How supertankers work
How poisons work
How corn works
How dog ID chips work
How President Obama's limousine works
How emergency power works
How aircraft carriers work
How antibiotics and vaccines work
How mucus works
How iron and steel work
How aspirin works
How igloos work
How the Predator UAV works
How retention ponds work
How water absorbers work
How melamine works
How digital music works
How coal mining works
How an economic depression works
How the liver works
How 3D movies work
How oil pipelines work
How jet packs work
How seismographs work
How Olympic technology works
How Personal Rapid Transit works
How 3G works
How the Global Position System (GPS) works
How octane works
How cruise missiles work
How submarines work
How miles work
How octane works
How food preservation works
How beer works
How holding your breath works
How smoke detectors work
How heat pumps work
How your night vision works
How concentrating solar collectors work
How your key fob works
How the common cold works
How the Large Hadron Collider Works
How making a TV show works
How dry cleaning works
How exoskeletons work
How an oil refinery works
How landfills work
How the Orion spacecraft works
The cutting edge in HDTV
Redefining the CD
How the HDMI cable scam works
How glow-in-the-dark toys work
How the subprime mortgage crisis works
How gift cards work
How Tasers work
How giant TV screens work
How foreclosure works
How Air Force One works
How wildfire fighting works
How vitamins work
How ejection seats work
How reattaching limbs works
How hot air balloons work
How paparazzi work
How counterfeiting works
How CDs work
How the Edsel worked
How Stinger missiles work
How hybrid cars work
How sharks work
How mosquitoes work
How diesel engines work
How water towers work
How the Dawn mission works
How Kassam rockets work
How the North American Eagle works
Why aren't we flying to work?
How tofu and soy milk work
How Colony Collapse Disorder works
How airbags work
How the U.S. income tax works
How gum works
How caffeine works
How Daylight Saving Time works
How a cruise missile works
How snow making works
© 2007, How Stuff Works Inc. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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