Spurred by concerns about conservation and cost, public utilities across the country have begun to partner with libraries, enabling loans of portable Kill A Watt electricity meters, which can be used to gauge home power usage.
Once home, a patron plugs the meter into the wall, plugs an appliance into the meter, and enters electricity rate information. The meter then shows how much power the appliance uses and how much that power costs.
Broad interest nationally The meters are a huge hit in some libraries: at the Seattle Public Library (SPL), there are currently 660 holds on 100 meters, according to the SPL's online catalog.
Such initiatives have been underway in several library systems over the past year or so, including the Boston Public Library (BPL) (announced in June 2009), where the initiative is a partnership with the city and the power company, and the SPL (announced in May 2010), a partnership with the local power company.
A program instituted by the Georgia Public Library Service (GPLS) in Atlanta began in August 2009, funded with a one-time grant through a state agency, the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (now called the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority). "Ours was definitely not the first," GPLS Communications Director David Baker told LJ, adding that at the time there had already been smaller programs in Illinois, Maine, and New Hampshire.
The latest libraries to embrace the trend, according to an article on the San Jose Mercury News site last week, are in Santa Clara County, CA, including branches of the San Jose Public Library and those in other jurisdictions. That initiative involves Silicon Valley Energy Watch, a partnership including the city of San Jose and Pacific Gas & Electric.
Popular for now In Seattle, where the initiative is fully funded by public utility Seattle City Light, the meters have been a hit with patrons. According to SPL spokesperson Caroline Ullmann, the library system doubled its supply of meters for loan from 50 to 100 in the past three months in order to keep up with demand. (The Kill A Watt model 4400 available in Seattle currently retails in the $20 range.)
The Kill A Watt meters appear to be popular in Santa Clara County, as well. According to the Santa Clara County Library's online catalog, there are currently 96 Kill A Watt EZ Meters available for loan—with 179 holds. (The Kill A Watt model 4460 available in Santa Clara currently retails in the $30 range.)
Whether patrons' enthusiasm will last once the novelty wears off remains to be seen. At BPL, for example, where the meters have been available for more than a year, only one of the 48 meters in BPL's catalog is currently checked out.
Loaning the unusual These initiatives are examples of how non-media items can fit into a library's circulation system.
The Berkeley Public Library, CA, for example, has a Tool Lending Library, the Richmond Public Library, CA, has a seed-lending library, the Iowa City Public Library loans art, and there are several libraries in Rhode Island that loan fishing gear.
(Update: The trend continues. On August 18, the Jefferson County Public Library, Lakewood, CO, announced that it was making 20 Power Check electricity meters available for checkout, supplied by power company Xcel Energy. Power Check meters were also made available at the Grand Forks Public Library, ND, in June.)
Reader Comments (12)
Our library system has had meters available since March 2007 and they have each checked out an average of 25 times. Our local energy company is donating 50 versions of a more sophisticated version and we expect those to check out well also.
Posted by Mic Golden on August 17, 2010 02:01:01PM
Mic, can you let us know where you are located?
Posted by Norman Oder/Library Journal on August 17, 2010 05:26:48PM
Hamilton Public Library in Ontario Canada has Kill A Watt electricity monitors. They have been available since 2006.
Posted by Bruce Beach on August 19, 2010 02:28:55PM
The Illinois System Directors Organization partnered with Commonwealth Edison and Ameren Electric in 2009 to make Kill A Watt meters available at libraries throughtout the state. A search of the Lincoln Trail Libraries System online catalog showed 16 meters available today. A Worldcat.org search for Kill A Watt yields four separate records for meters available. Illinois libraries all appear to be listed under OCLC# 318546654.
Posted by Laura L. Barnes on August 20, 2010 03:24:16PM
On a related note, the public library in North Liberty, IA has a cakepan collection that circulates: http://www.northlibertylibrary.org/services/collections/cakepans.html
Posted by Laura Leavitt on August 23, 2010 06:18:57AM
The Dakota County (MN)Library System has been circulating these meters since Feb. 2010. They were very popular initially but demand has leveled off with summer. Customers seem to find them very useful.
Posted by Roseanne Byrne on August 23, 2010 09:45:22AM
Hobsons Bay Libraries, Victoria, Australia have one too as part of our Environment Resource Centre, ours is called a POWERMATE
Posted by Joanne Smith on August 23, 2010 06:41:36PM
We've been circulating a Kil-a-watt for over a year now and it has been quite popular. It is kept in our "Sustainable Living" section where we also shelve and display books on how to live green. Composting, solar energy, organic gardening, & energy efficiency strategies are just some of the subjects we include. It has been very successful way to hi-light the great books we have on sustainable living. We're looking into tool lending.
Posted by Mary Danko on August 23, 2010 10:18:09PM
Mic, can you let us know where you are located? http://www.ghdhairstraightener-uk.net/cheap-ghd.html
Posted by cheap ghd straighteners on October 13, 2010 01:16:36AM
Glad to see the idea has spread. Madison Gas & Electric started loaning meters via the Dane County library service in 1996. http://www.homeenergy.org/show/article/nav/homeowneredu/page/3/id/1191
Home Energy Magazine ran an editorial, "Why Doesn't Every Library Loan kwh Meters?" in 1997:
http://www.homeenergy.org/show/article/nav/toolstrade/page/8/id/1291/magazine/103
I was interviewed about portable meters in the same 1997 issue of Home Energy Magazine:
http://www.homeenergy.org/show/article/nav/toolstrade/page/8/id/1303
Prior to 1996, Madison Gas & Electric meter readers would drop off and pick up portable meters upon request. Libraries
are way better at getting the meters back!
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