Your home appliances may appear to be off, but they're really taking tiny sips of electricity while you're not looking, and it all adds up on your energy bill. "In the average home," says the
Department of Energy, "75 percent of the electricity used to power home electronics and appliances is consumed while the products are turned off." Shocking!
Stop this senseless guzzling by using power strips.
Using power strips is easier than unplugging your appliances individually—and everything from electronics like your TV, DVD player, and stereo to your food processor and cell phone charger could be drawing "phantom" energy loads when you're not using them, from a few watts each up to 20 or 40 watts.
Plug 'em all into a power strip, and then turn it off when you aren't using the appliances. If you're wondering about
your computer, it's worth turning it off (or turning off its power strip) if it's going to be inactive for over two hours. Already using power strips? More power to you!