The way to green your home is to take control of your energy consumption by finding out exactly how much you’re using. Armed with tools like the The Energy Detective (TED1001) or the Kill-A-Watt, you can measure how much electricity an item uses, or find out how much electricity you’re whole household uses.These real-time energy usage meters will help you understand your habits and can get you to become more efficient with your energy consumption needs. Many electricity companies offer lower rates during off-peak hours, such as nights and weekends. Using appliances like washers, dryers, air conditioners and dishwashers during these off-peak hours can lead to substantial savings on your electricity bill, and you can use the the TED1001 with footprints software to confirm this. It can be programmed to reflect two rates—one for off-peak periods and one for peak periods—so you know how much money you’re spending on electricity at any given time. Once you determine these facts, you can reduce usage or replace energy hogs with more efficient items.