The Gordon-Calhoun Public Library is offering residents an easier way to “go green.”

The library has teamed up with the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA) to bring the Kill-A-Watt program to the community.

The Kill-A-Watt Energy Detector Toolkit offers library cardholders an easy to use energy reader that measures the Kilowatt-hour and estimates the cost of operating the appliance by the hour, day, week, month and year. The unit can be used on most household appliance uses.

“I think there is a lot of potential for this program,” said Northwest Georgia Regional Library (NGRL) System Deputy Director Nick Fogarty.

The Kill-A-Watt program is an initiative of the Governor’s Energy Challenge. Each NGRL Library will have multiple Kill-a-Watt tool kits that can be loaned to cardholders for a three-week loan pe-riod. Each toolkit includes instructions on how to use the Kill-A-Watt meter, what the information means and tips about energy consumption.

“People can learn from this. Everyone cares about the environment and the Kill-A-Watt program teaches people about the amount of energy and money saved by just unplugging a cell phone charger,” Fogarty said.

The Governor’s Energy Challenge is also encouraging businesses and individuals to log the amount of energy saved through an interactive program at www.gefa.org.

“The program only works if participants take action,” Fogarty said.

Faulty appliances that “leak” energy such as old washing machines and electric water heaters would need to be repaired or replaced. The state has scheduled a tax-free week Oct. 1-4, for the purchase of energy efficient appliances priced below $1,500. There are also federal tax credits available for appliances displaying an “energy star” logo. The credit is available up to 30 percent of the cost of the appliances, up to $1,500.

The Kill-A-Watt kits will be available on Aug. 20 and can be loaned out for a three-week period.