Let's Stay in for Coffee
It's been a tough week or so here at the EcoFamily homestead. Our ~16 year old (yes, it really lasted that long) drip coffee maker died. Don't worry, we didn't go without coffee. But, my skill at coarse grinding coffee beans with a 'whirly-blade' grinder for french press coffee has much room for improvement. Of course, I did try to repair the old coffee maker, but the thermistor that died didn't have any useful markings. After an evening spent diligently researching DIY coffee maker repairs and thermistors (best answer - find a similar coffee maker of the same brand at a thrift store) I put it in the recycle bin. So, we bought a new carafe-type coffee maker.
In choosing our coffee maker we checked 'the' resource for modern appliance reviews - Consumer Reports. We chose Consumer Reports' highest-rated carafe-type coffee maker. Since we have made a grand total of one (1) pot of coffee I'll hold off on a review. Time will tell how long this coffee maker will last.
I can't comment yet on the longevity of this coffee maker but, I do know how much electricity it uses. Thanks to our handy Kill-A-Watt meter I know this new coffee maker uses .08 kWh (Kilowatt hours) of electricity to brew 5 cups of coffee (our usual morning brew). The thermal carafe uses no power and does a fine job of keeping the coffee hot and fresh. This coffee maker uses ~1 watt of electricity while in standby. While this isn't a huge 'vampire load' we won't be leaving the coffee maker plugged in when not in use.
Here's a salute to a fresh, low-hassle cup of coffee in the morning. You never know how important it is until you go without. Our coffee isn't a carbon-neutral habit, but it's a lot cheaper than a daily trip to coffee shop and used coffee grounds are a great addition to the compost heap.
More Info:
Consumer Reports - Coffeemakers (also available at your local library)
