Congratulations to Sarah, the winner of CUB’s Earth Day Giveaway! She’s just won $25 off her next utility bill as well as an energy efficiency kit: an LED, a smart power strip, and a Kill A Watt.
Runner-up winners were Nancy and Mary-Jo. Each will receive an LED bulb. Congrats!
Sarah, Nancy and Mary-Jo were randomly selected from more than 1,000 people who entered the giveaway. The kit has the potential to cut utility bills by hundreds of dollars a year. Here’s more detail on the contents:
The Kill A Watt. Plug electronics and appliances into this device to instantly find out how much electricity they’re using, and how much money they’re costing you. The Kill A Watt helps you hunt down energy hogs so you can save money. (Cost: $30)
LED light bulb. An LED can save you up to $100 over its lifetime, which can be a quarter of a century. LEDs are fully dimmable and can be used in a variety of sockets. (Cost: $10 per bulb on up)
Smart power strip. When you shut off your TV, it’s likely that your DVD player, video game console and speakers stay on. That adds up on your power bill. A smart power strip eliminates this “vampire power” by plugging your television into a “control” outlet. The strip then automatically detects when that device is powered off, and cuts off power to connected devices. Smart power strips also contain “constant hot” outlets that are not connected to the control device. That means electronics you may want on standby, like a cable box, won’t power down completely when your TV is off. (Cost: $30)
