Step 1: get the number
- Smart meter data. Log in to your utility account and look at hourly use. The lowest hour on a night when nothing big is running (no AC, heat or dryer) is your baseline.
- Read the meter. Late at night, write down the meter reading, then again an hour later with nothing major running. The difference in kWh times 1,000 is your always-on watts.
Step 2: find the devices
Walk the house with a plug-in meter or a smart plug that measures power:
- Entertainment centers: TV, cable or satellite box, game consoles in “instant on” mode, sound bars, receivers.
- Home office: desktop computer, monitors, printer, speakers.
- Kitchen and laundry: older microwaves and coffee makers with clocks, a second fridge or freezer.
- Hard-wired loads you can’t plug into a meter: furnace control boards, hot water recirculation pumps, pool and spa equipment, well pumps. A whole-home monitor sees these.
Step 3: cut it
- Turn off “instant on” or “quick start” in TV and game console settings.
- Put entertainment and office gear on a switched power strip or a smart plug with a schedule.
- Unplug or retire that second fridge in the garage if it’s mostly empty.
- Set a recirculation pump to run on a timer or on demand.