COLORADO KILL A WATT EZ User manual

ENERGY SAVINGS FOR SCHOOLS
How to use the tools in your kit

CONTENTS
Kill A Watt EZ................................................................................................. 1
Acu-Rite Humdity Monitor .................................................................................. 3
Carbon dioxide Detector.................................................................................... 5
URCERI Light Meter .......................................................................................... 9
Images:
Right:
Energy Savings for Schools. Colorado Energy
Office. 2018. ColoradoESS.org.
Below:
High Performing School Program. Colorado
Energy Office. 2018.
https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/energyoffi
ce/high-performing-school-program.

1
KILL A WATT EZ
A Kill A Watt EZ is a watt meter. What’s a watt meter? It’s a device that lets users plug in
appliances and read how much electricity the appliances are consuming as well as how much
that electricity costs. Figure 1 shows the basic features of the watt meter from the
instruction manual.
Figure 1. Features of the Watt Meter from the Instruction Manual
Here is how to operate your watt meter:
1. Plug the watt meter into an electric outlet. Ensure that the appliance you want to
check is turned off and then plug the appliance into the watt meter.
2. To reset the meter, press and hold the RESET button until “rEST” appears on the
screen. Release the RESET key. This indicates that all previously recorded
measurements have been erased and reset to zero.
3. Program the price you pay for electricity per kilowatt hour (KWH) in the watt meter
(use $0.10/kWh if you don’t know for sure):
a. Press and hold the SET key until “Rate” is displayed and the currently set rate
flashes.

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b. Press the UP and DOWN keys to set your desired rate. The meter accepts rates
ranging from $0.000 to $9.999.
c. Press SET again to save the new rate. “SAVE” will appear briefly on the screen.
4. To show the cost of the power being used by the appliance, press the MENU key until
“Cost” is displayed on the screen.
a. At first, the actual total cost of power used by the appliance since the last
reset will be shown and “Total” will be in the bottom left corner of the screen.
The total cost may show $0.00 initially since it can take some time to
accumulate this information.
b. Using the UP and DOWN keys, cycle through projected cost estimates for
different time periods: “Hour,” “Day,” “Week,” “Month,” and “Year.”This
value indicates the estimated total cost to run the appliance for the selected
period.
c. The longer the appliance is attached to the meter, the more accurate the
estimate will become, especially for appliances that are used periodically, such
as televisions and refrigerators. Appliances like computer servers that are
never turned off will have accurate cost estimates within minutes as they do
not cycle through periods of ON and OFF.
5. To change the type of power being measured, press the MENU key until “Volt” is
displayed on the screen.
a. Use the UP and DOWN keys to cycle through the various types of
measurements: “Volts,” “Amp,” “Watts,” “Hz,” “P.F.,” and “VA.”
i. “Amp” shows current. “Hz” shows frequency. “P.F.” (Power Factor) is
Watts divided by Volts times Amps. “VA”is Volts times Amps.
6. To display the total consumed power in kilowatt hours, press the MENU key until
“KWH” is shown on the screen.
7. To show the total time that the appliance has been connected to the meter since the
last reset, press the MENU key until “Elapsed Time” shows on the screen.
a. Time will be shown as “Hours:Minutes” if the period has been short and will be
shown as Hours only for longer time periods.

3
ACU-RITE HUMDITY MONITOR
This device measures temperature and humidity, high and low humidity and temperature
trends, and humidity level comparison to ideal indoor humidity for your space and health.
Humidity is the amount of water particles in the air.
For maximum accuracy, place the monitor in a clean, dry area out of direct sunlight and away
from any heat sources, vents, or humidity sources. An explanation of the various buttons on
the device from the instruction manual are shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Features of the Humidity Monitor from the Instruction Manual
Here is how to use this monitor:
1. Install 2 AAA batteries into the battery compartment on the back of the device.

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2. To switch between Fahrenheit and Celsius, press the “oC/oF” button on the back of the
monitor.
3. High and low temperature and humidity records are displayed. The 24-hour record is
automatically reset after 24 hours from the time the batteries were installed. The all-
time record is collected continuously from the time the batteries were installed. To
manually reset the recorded high values, press and hold the UP button on the back of
the monitor until dashes appear in place of the numbers. To manually reset the
recorded low values, press and hold the DOWN button on the back of the monitor until
dashes appear in place of the numbers.
4. To calibrate the real-time temperature and humidity being displayed, press and hold
all three buttons (UP, wrench, DOWN) on the back of the device at the same time until
the screen clears, leaving the humidity value flashing. Use the UP and DOWN arrows to
adjust the humidity as needed. Press the wrench button to move to calibrating the
temperature. Use the UP and DOWN arrows to adjust the temperature as needed.
Press the wrench button when done to save the calibration.
Notes:
•Calibrating can be useful for increasing accuracy if there are known humidity or
temperature values that do not match the values displayed. The calibration will be
reset whenever the batteries are removed/replaced.
•This device is intended to be used only indoors.

5
CARBON DIOXIDE DETECTOR
This device monitors and tracks levels of indoor carbon dioxide, temperature, and humidity.
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas breathed out by people and absorbed by plants. Too much
carbon dioxide in the air can make people sick. This device has a buzzer that indicates when
the carbon dioxide levels have reached undesirable levels. Carbon dioxide, temperature, and
humidity are logged and downloaded using the free computer software program (optional). To
install the free software to the computer (Windows PC):
1. Go to CO2Meter.com/pages/downloads and download the XT-10 Setup file.
2. Double click the setup file when downloaded and click “Next” to begin.
3. Accept the default installation folder to your hard drive or click “Browse” to create a
new folder.
4. Click “Next” to confirm the installation and click “Next” again to start the
installation.
5. Once the installation is complete, click “Close.”
Note:
•Before the first time the device is used or when the screen displays a low battery, it
will need to be charged using either a wall adapter or a USB cable port on a
computer. The device can still be used while it is charging. An explanation of the
various buttons on the device from the instruction manual are shown in Figure 3.
Here is how to use your detector:
1. Try not to breath directly on the device.
2. To turn on the device, press the Power button on the back. A 30-second countdown
will be displayed as the device powers up.
3. To set the CO2 alarm level, date, and time, press and hold the MODE button for 2
seconds.
a. The first option will be to set the CO2 alarm level. Using the left and right
arrow buttons, select the digit you wish to change and use the up and down
arrows to change the selected digit (selected digits will flash). The default
setting is 2,000 PPM (parts per million), which is the suggested maximum for a
healthy environment. Figure 4 shows ranges of carbon dioxide concentrations
and their associated impacts on health.
b. Press and hold the MODE button for 2 seconds to move to the date settings. Set
the date to today if it is not already correctly set. Using the left and right
arrow buttons, select the digit you wish to change and use the up and down
arrows to change the selected digit (selected digits will flash).
c. Press and hold the MODE button for 2 seconds to move to the time settings.
Change the time to the current time if it is not already correctly set. Using the
left and right arrow buttons, select the digit you wish to change and use the up
and down arrows to change the selected digit (selected digits will flash).

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d. Alternatively, the date and time can be synced to the computer’s built-in clock
by connecting the device to the computer using the USB cable and clicking “Set
Time” in the software program.
Figure 3. Features of the CO2 Detector from the Instruction Manual

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4. To record data, connect the device to the computer using the USB cable and open the
computer software program.
a. Click “Set Param” and set up the desired parameters.
b. Option 1: Tethered Data Logging
i. Select the “Immediately” option for the Current Time to indicate that
you want the data recorded right away.
ii. Click “OK” to begin logging. During the logging process, “REC” will flash
on the display at the same frequency as the selected recording interval.
iii. Click “Stop Recording” when you are done logging data.
c. Option 2: Remote Data Logging
i. Select the “Manual” option for the Current Time to indicate that you
want to start the data recording later.
ii. Click “OK” and disconnect the device from the computer. You can now
set up the device as desired. When ready to record, press the REC/up
arrow button on the device. During the logging process, “REC” will flash
on the display at the same frequency as the selected recording interval.
iii. Click “Stop Recording” when you are doing logging data and reconnect
the device to the computer using the USB cable.
d. Click “Data Download” and save the data to your computer. The file can then
be opened in the software and viewed graphically.
Here is how to calibrate the device if necessary:
•Automatic Baseline Calibration: This option is used in areas that are regularly
unoccupied, meaning that the CO2 levels have the opportunity to return to 400 PPM
every few days.
1. Turn off the device.
2. Press and hold the up arrow and down arrow buttons, then press the Power
button. Release the Power button first, then release the arrow buttons.
3. If the screen shows “0PPM,”it means that the Automatic Baseline Calibration
option is turned off. If the screen shows “1PPM,”it means that the Automatic
Baseline Calibration option is turned on. If the screen shows “0PPM,”use the
up arrow button to turn the option on.
4. Press the MODE button to save the option. The display will flash “30” if the
option is off, or “31” if the option is on. If the next screen shows “1PPM,”the
change worked. If the screen shows “0PPM,”the change did not work.
5. Press the MODE button again, which will restart the device with the normal 30-
second countdown.
•Manual Calibration: This option uses fresh, outdoor air to calibrate the device to 400
PPM.
1. Turn off the device and place it in fresh air for 5-10 minutes to allow the
device to fill completely with fresh air.
2. Press and hold the up arrow and down arrow buttons, then press the Power
button. Release the Power button first, then release the arrow buttons. The
screen will show 400 PPM.

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3. Leave the device in the fresh air for another 5-10 minutes. Make sure that you
walk away from the device so as not to influence the calibration with your
breath.
4. Once calibration is complete, the display will show “1” if it was successful or
“0” if it was unsuccessful. If it was unsuccessful, redo this process. If it is
unsuccessful multiple times, contact the company’s technical support at:
▪[email protected]
▪386-256-4910
Notes:
•If the CO2 levels are higher than the selected alarm level, a buzzer will sound. Press
the left arrow button to turn on/off the buzzer on the main display screen. Carbon
dioxide guidelines are shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4. Carbon Dioxide Level Guidelines Provided in the Instruction Manual
•The device’s data logging memory is reset whenever the device is connected to the
computer and “Set Param” is selected in the software. This is why it is important to
save the downloaded data files to the computer after every recording.

9
URCERI LIGHT METER
This device measures light intensity and temperature. Light intensity is a way of measuring
the amount of energy being moved by light waves (or, more basically, brightness). An
explanation of the various buttons on the device from the instruction manual are shown in
Figure 5.
Figure 5. Features of the Light Meter from the Instruction Manual
Here is how to use your meter:
1. Install 3 AAA batteries into the battery compartment on the back of the device.
2. Remove the cap from the photo detector.
3. Use the Power button to turn on the device.
a. When the meter is off, holding down the “FC LUX” button then pressing the
Power button changes the power settings. If the Auto Power Off icon shows on
the screen, the device will automatically turn off after 15 minutes. If the Auto
Power Off icon is not on the screen, the screen will need to be turned off
manually by pressing the Power button.
4. Hold the meter with the cap removed at whatever level is important in the space
(waist height in hallways, desk height in classrooms, etc.).
5. Press the “Hold”button to freeze the values to make it easier to record the data.
After you have recorded the data, press the “Hold”button again to resume metering.

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6. Press the “MIN MAX” button to show the minimum and maximum captured data. To
return to real-time measurements, press and hold the “MIN MAX” button for 2 seconds.
7. To change the light units between FC (foot-candles) and LUX (lumens per square
meter), press the “FC LUX” button. This can also be used in the “MIN MAX” data
capture, but it will not work with the “Hold” on.
8. To change the temperature units, turn off the device. While holding down the “Hold”
button, press the Power button.
9. When done with the device, replace the photo detector cap and remove the batteries.
Table 1 presents recommended light levels for spaces within schools as a reference.
Table 1. Recommended Light Levels in Schools
Space
Recommended illumination (foot-candles)
Hallway
5-10
Classrooms
20-30
Music Room (classroom)
20-40
Computer Lab
10-20
Cafeteria
20-30
Library
20-40
Gym (Elementary/Middle School)
30-50
Competition Gym (High School)
60-80