Block Heater: Blanket or Energy Hog
Two Climate Change Central employees put the plug-ins around their homes to the test with a Kill-A-Watt electricity monitor. An exterior outlet was feeding the biggest hog of all - the block heater, which used eight times more energy than one of the next biggest home culprits, the refrigerator. "Who would have thought the block heater was doing so much damage to my utility bill," says one of those employees, Fred Walter. "Now that I know how much energy it draws, I won't be leaving my car plugged in for hours on end." Your block heater only needs to be plugged in for two hours, at which point the vehicle has reached its maximum temperature. Also, when it's warmer than minus 10 degrees, most vehicles don't need the extra warmth. Using an outdoor timer to switch on the block heater two hours prior to the vehicle's use can save you time, energy and money. For example, you can save more than $15 a year in energy costs, enough to pay for the timer in one winter season. Let's face it, those minus 30 degree nights in this province aren't going away. So invest in a timer and quit feeding the energy hog.
Block Heater = 450 watts (0.45 kW·h)
One night: |
On frosty Alberta winter evenings, many of us plug in our cars to keep them warm and cozy for the morning. But you may not realize how much energy that block heater consumes when it's plugged in all night.