Using the Kill-A-Watt power monitor to determine AC loads on a solar power system.

Using the Kill-A-Watt power monitor: Instantaneous power (watts), accumulated power (kWH) over time, Amps drawn, power line frequency, and AC Voltage.
The first step to building an effective solar power system is to figure out how much power you need to use, and the Kill-A-Watt is an inexpensive and easy to use tool that will help you with this.