It’s no secret that appliances around the house are constantly gobbling down electricity: that TV may be off, but it’s still plugged in, right? Is the refrigerator working overtime? How’s that old freezer in the garage doing? Being an appliance detective is easier than you think thanks to a number of tools readily available.

To really get a hold of your energy usage, your first stop should be your electricity bill. Here’s a sample bill, but depending on your electricity provider, it will look different. The key part is the bar graph. This will give you a good overview of what your power usage trends are. If you have electric heat, you would expect to see your power usage increase in the winter when you need to heat your home more.

However, just looking at your electric bill won’t tell you which appliances are using the most energy. There are several tools out there to help you approximate what is normal for an appliance (such as this one), but these tools are only simplified guesses.

If you want to really reign in misbehaving appliances, then co

nsider something like the Kill A Watt EZ, (which we sell at The Green Car Company).

There are several tools like this, and each varies in features and price. This particular model retails for $49.95 ($29.95 for it’s little brother, the Kill A Watt). They are very simple to use: plug them into an outlet, then plug the appliance into the device. It will keep track of how much electricity the appliance uses and provide cost forecasts. If you’re considering an electric vehicle, then this is definitely something you will want so you can keep track of how much money it is saving you in fuel costs!