Once created, dirty electricity spreads. Some dirty electricity radiates directly off equipment and appliances into the air. Even more travels throughout a building via the electrical wiring in walls and ceilings and sometimes under floors. It also moves up and down power cords that are plugged into outlets. As dirty electricity flows along wiring and cords, it emits potentially harmful EMFs (electromagnetic fields) into rooms and other spaces where people spend time.

Amazingly, dirty electricity can even move from one building to another via power lines and other means. This has a very important implication. These days even if you were able to remove all dirty electricity producers from inside a home or other setting, it is likely there would still be dirty electricity present on the wiring in the building. This is because some or a lot of dirty electricity created elsewhere (in neighbors’ homes for example) can find its way into the building and then spread via electrical wiring.

The list of equipment, appliances, and other devices that produce dirty electricity is LONG! Nearly every electronic and modern appliance we plug in today creates dirty electricity. Some of the biggest offenders include…

A Few Specific Ideas

• Replace energy-efficient light bulbs – such as CFLs or low-voltage LED and halogen bulbs – with light bulbs that run on 120 Volts (e.g., traditional incandescent bulbs, halogen incandescent bulbs, line voltage LEDs).

• Turn off and unplug electronics and other electrical devices when you are not using them. Alternatively, you can plug these devices into a power strip with an ON/OFF switch. Turn the switch OFF when you are not using the items plugged into the strip.

• Use your laptop in battery mode whenever possible. If you use the laptop while it’s plugged into an AC power source or your Internet router, make sure to ground the laptop and router. (See “Safer use of Computers” by Oram Miller for details.)

• Replace light dimmer switches with regular ON/OFF switches.

Dirty electricity filters, like the Greenwave Filters shown above, are designed to significantly reduce the level of dirty electricity flowing along the electrical wiring in buildings. The idea being… the less dirty electricity there is flowing along building wires, the less that will radiate into rooms where you and others spend time.

Greenwave filters are EASY to use. Simply plug them into electrical outlets or power strips for immediate results. The filters utilize capacitive technology to “short out” (shunt) erratic surges/spikes of electrical energy while allowing conventional AC electricity to pass through unimpeded.

Most Greenwave filter models come with a built-in outlet at their base for plug-through convenience. You can plug electronics and other devices into the filters when you need an outlet.

The filters also meet rigorous safety standards (e.g., UL, CE, and/or SEMKO) and are RoHS compliant. RoHS regulations limit or ban the use of hazardous materials such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and phthalates in electronic and electrical equipment.

The effectiveness of dirty electricity filters can be measured with Greenwave’s Broadband EMI Meter. Simply plug the meter into electrical outlets to find out how much dirty electricity is flowing along nearby wiring. The meter can show “BEFORE filter” and “AFTER filter” measurements on the same screen simultaneously, making comparisons easy.

The meter is also an excellent tool for identifying sources of dirty electricity in your environment and for guiding the installation of Greenwave filters. It can help you determine the best number of filters to install in each room and where to place them for optimal results.