How much energy does a product use?

When we buy electrical devices, or we need to test one we have, we use a special meter called a watt-hour meter to see how much energy a unit uses over time. The meter we have is called a Kill-A-Watt, and it reports volts, amps, watts, watt-hours, power factor, frequency (important for tuning a generator), and time. Approximately $30, this is one tool no conserving household shoule be without. Take it when shopping for appliances for comparing energy consumption.