Pinellas County Extension Shines a Light on Energy Consumption, Saturday January 28 at the Gulfport Library

Through its Pinellas Energy Efficiency Project, Pinellas County Extension is promoting a new gadget that aims to get citizens more energy conscious and eco-friendly.

The Kill-A-Watt™ Energy Monitor is a simple tool used to see how much energy the devices in a home are actually using, whether they are on or off. Users simply plug the monitor into an outlet, plug an appliance into the monitor, follow The Kill-A-Watt’s™ instructions and watch it work. The monitor measures various aspects of electrical consumption, from voltage of an outlet to watts and kilowatt hours. Users can find out exactly how much energy and money is being consumed by most of their household electronics.

Pinellas County Extension and the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative have come together to make these Kill-A-Watt™ monitors available for check-out at their libraries to make the assessment of personal energy consumption even easier.

Extension specialists will also be holding upcoming classes at select libraries to further explain how the monitors work and to give easy tips to make a home more energy efficient in their effort to decrease electric bills and increase environmental friendliness.

On Saturday January 28 we will be hosting a class at the Gulfport Public Library. Click here for a map to the library. Participants of the class will receive handouts and worksheets from the University of Florida and take part in an interactive presentation. Door prizes will be awarded.

Sign up today to participate in this class. Visit www.pinellascountyextension.org and click on the 28th on the calendar on the front page. Registration is free and easy.

See you on the 28th!

Pinellas County Extension Shines a Light on Energy Consumption

Through its Pinellas Energy Efficiency Project, Pinellas County Extension is promoting a new gadget that aims to get citizens more energy conscious and eco-friendly. 


The Kill-A-Watt™ Energy Monitor is a simple tool used to see how much energy the devices in a home are actually using, whether they are on or off. Users simply plug the monitor into an outlet, plug an appliance into the monitor, follow The Kill-A-Watt’s™ instructions and watch it work. The monitor measures various aspects of electrical consumption, from voltage of an outlet to watts and kilowatt hours. Users can find out exactly how much energy and money is being consumed by most of their household electronics. 


Pinellas County Extension and the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative have come together to make these Kill-A-Watt™ monitors available for check-out at their libraries to make the assessment of personal energy consumption even easier. 


Extension specialists will also be holding upcoming classes at select libraries to further explain how the monitors work and to give easy tips to make a home more energy efficient in their effort to decrease electric bills and increase environmental friendliness. 


The Kill-A-Watt™ classes will be held according to the following schedule: 


Wednesday, Jan. 11, 3 to 4 p.m. Tarpon Springs Public Library 138 E. Lemon St., Tarpon Springs Phone: (727) 943-4922 www.tarponspringslibrary.org Saturday, Jan. 28, 10 to 11 a.m. Gulfport Public Library 5501 28th Ave. S., Gulfport Phone: (727) 893-1074 www.mygulfport.us 


Saturday, Feb. 18, 11 a.m. to noon Palm Harbor Library 2330 Nebraska Ave., Palm Harbor Phone: (727) 784-3332 www.palmharborlibrary.org 


Tuesday, March 13, 7 to 8 p.m. Dunedin Public Library 223 Douglas Ave., Dunedin Phone: (727) 298-3080 www.dunedingov.com 


Saturday, March 31, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Clearwater East Branch Library 100 N. Osceola Ave., Clearwater Phone: (727) 669-1280 www.myclearwater.com 


Thursday, April 12, 6 to 7 p.m. Safety Harbor Public Library 101 Second St. N., Safety Harbor Phone: (727) 724-1525 www.cityofsafetyharbor.com 


Thursday, April 26, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Oldsmar Public Library 400 St. Petersburg Drive E., Oldsmar Phone: (813) 749-1178 www.oldsmarlibrary.org 


Monday, May 7, 1 to 2 p.m. St. Pete Beach Public Library 365 73rd Ave., St. Pete Beach Phone: (727) 363-9238 www.stpetebeach.org 


It is important to remember that all devices cannot be measured using the Kill-A-Watt™ monitor. For example, air conditioners and electric heaters are not compatible with the monitor.  


Registration for classes is required. For more information on the Kill-A-Watt™ monitor, classes or Pinellas County Extension, visit www.pinellascountyextension.org or call (727) 582-2581. To register, visit the website or stop by the library holding the class you wish to attend.


Pinellas County Extension is a partnership between Pinellas County government and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences as part of a nationwide network of land grant universities. The University of Florida is an equal access/equal opportunity institution. 


The mission of Pinellas County Extension is to provide research-based knowledge and education programs enabling people to make practical decisions to improve their quality of life and the world around them. Education focuses on sustainable living, lawn and garden, families and consumers, and 4-H youth development. 


Pinellas County Extension offers programming at the Extension office, 12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo, (727) 582-2100; Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center, 3940 Keystone Road, Tarpon Springs, (727) 453-6800 and at Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center, 1800 Weedon Drive N.E., St. Petersburg, (727) 453-6500. For more information, visit www.pinellascountyextension.org and find Pinellas Extension on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. 


Pinellas County complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you are a person with a disability who needs any accommodation in order to participate in this class you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. At least seven days prior to the class, please contact the Office of Human Rights, 400 S. Fort Harrison Ave., Suite 500, Clearwater, FL 33756, (727) 464-4062 (Voice/TDD).

Kill a Watt, Save Some Money!

Pinellas County Extension's Pinellas Energy Efficiency Project has teamed up with Pinellas Public Library Cooperative to bring an exciting new program to our citizens. 


The Kill-a-Watt (TM) Campaign teaches residents how to monitor their home's energy use when they borrow an energy monitor from the library. 


Kill-a-Watt(TM) energy monitors are plugged into your home's power supply at an outlet, then various electronic devices can be plugged into the monitor. In real time the monitor indicates the amount of energy a device is using at the moment, and can be left on for longer amounts of time (more than 1 hour at least) to determine the kilowatts that device has consumed. 


Extension specialists will be holding classes throughout the coming months to explain how the monitors work and provide easy tips to make your home more energy efficient. 


Here is a schedule of upcoming classes: 
Tuesday December 13, 1pm – 2 pm Johnson Branch Public Library 
Wednesday January 11, 3pm-4pm Tarpon Springs Public Library 
Saturday January 28, 10am-11am Gulfport Public Library 
Saturday February 18, 11am-noon Palm Harbor Public Library 
Tuesday March 13, 7pm-8pm Dunedin Public Library 
Saturday March 31, 1:30pm-2:30pm Clearwater East Branch Library 
Thursday April 12, 6:30pm-7:30pm Safety Harbor Public Library 
Thursday April 26, 1:30pm-2:30pm Oldsmar Public Library 
Monday May 7, 1:00pm – 2:00pm St. Pete Beach Public Library 
Register by visiting pinellascountyextension.org and selecting the date you wish to attend on the calendar on the home page. Classes are free and will be held throughout the county.  


These libraries have energy monitors available for check-out any time: Clearwater Public Library System, Dunedin Public Library, East Lake Community Library, Gulf Beaches Public Library, Gulfport Public Library, Largo Public Library, Oldsmar Public Library, Palm Harbor Public Library,  Pinellas Park Public Library, Safety Harbor Public Library, St. Pete Beach Public Library, St. Petersburg Public Library System, Seminole Community Library, Tarpon Springs Public Library

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions, or affiliations. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A&M University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating.