I’m having a Slate Explainer moment.

The 16KW micro hydroelectric project recently completed by Xela Teco is providing electricity for 40 families living at the Comunidad Nueva Alianza in Guatemala. This is the first time that members of the community have had electricity in their homes. 16KW translates to 400 watts per household. But what can you do with 400 watts?

I don’t know what each household will do precisely, but here is a sample breakdown.

Not too shabby, not too shabby at all. But let’s put this in perspective with how much energy Joe Schmoe regular in the U.S. might use. Here is info from the Department of Energy on the typical wattage of home appliances when in use. The data may surprise you. Appliances that heat or cool are the biggest energy vampires.

How Much Electricity Do Appliances Use?
“This chart [from the U.S. Department of Energy] shows how much energy a typical appliance uses per year and its corresponding cost based on national averages. For example, a refrigerator uses almost five times the electricity the average television uses.” Note: A typical U.S. household consumes about 11,000 kWh per year, costing an average of $900 annually.

Not to be a preachy goody goody, but I do want to mention this. Many of you will have grown up in a household where a parent said “Clean your plate, because there are people out there who don’t have food to eat”. Let’s talk that lesson a step further and say ” Turn off the lights when you are not using them, unplug your cell phone and laptop chargers, switch to compact fluorescent or LED lighting, etc. because there are folks out there without electricity or who have to watch every watt”.

Other useful resources:
How much electricity does my stuff use?
Generator Sales
What is a kilowatt hour anyway?

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