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What's wasting energy in your home right now

By Lori Bongiorno

Posted Thu Oct 9, 2008 9:34am PDT

More from The Conscious Consumer blog

Virtually all of your electronics are sucking up energy even if they're turned off or not being used. Some of the biggest culprits include your TV, computer, and printer. Even your electric toothbrush is drawing energy when it's plugged in and sitting idle.

On its own, the "vampire power" used by one device might seem miniscule, but collectively it amounts to more than $4 billion a year of wasted energy here in the United States. What's more, the Department of Energy says that about 75 percent of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off.

The easiest (and most obvious) thing you can do is get up right now and unplug whatever you're not using. Candidates include:

Your hand-held vacuum in its charging station
Power drills
Automatic coffee makers
The VCR you haven't used in nearly a decade
The TV that's collecting dust in the guest room
The empty refrigerator in the garage

For the slightly more ambitious, buy a power strip at your local hardware store. Yes, it takes a little time up-front to plug everything into it, but you'll more than make up the time when you can cut all power with just the flip of a switch.

Clamping down on vampire power is one of the easiest ways to save money on your electric bill (about 5 percent a month) and pump less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It may not seem like much, but it all adds up!

Environmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green's users. Send Lori a question or suggestion for potential use in a future column. Her book, Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life, is available on Yahoo! Shopping.

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Posted by localyokal Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:15am PDT
Only question I have: You suggest that everyone go out and purchase a power strip to plug all of your appliances into... then they can turn them off with one button. This is NOT a good suggestion. 1. One normally does not keep the coffee maker, electric toothbrush and computer all in the same room. 2. You are now suggesting people start using power strips... which will overload the outlet(s) and present a possible fire hazard. Do you think that EVERY person that reads your column will know better than to do this?
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Posted by williamd Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:17am PDT
Funny how computers and their attendant devices were glossed over; these are the biggest "vampires" of the lot.
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Posted by ryanwilford89 Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:18am PDT
stephen k...what do you mean by i bet you're going to help put a black man in office, does it matter? It should only matter if you do not like that person's political statements or what they stand for!
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Posted by CindyP Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:18am PDT
I agree with chloe - reprogramming electronics is a hassle.
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Posted by Daniela Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:18am PDT
To Greg S., This isn't a "tree hugger" phenomenon. Yes, you are right, the Earth has natural hot and cold phases that take on a cyclical fashion every 10,000 years or so. But if you do your research, you will we should actually be in a COOLING phase right now. That's right, we passed our peak hot phase several thousand years ago. That is why there is cause for concern. Also, the amount of carbon dioxide that is in the Earth's atmosphere at the moment is exponentially higher than what it should be during a normal heating phase anyway. There are plenty of scientists who support the idea that greenhouse gases are the result of human activity. Do your research thoroughly before you make judgements of other people and don't use those judgements as a cop out of being responsible.
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Posted by peffoo Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:19am PDT
This is a pretty important issue. I really think that all people should be aware of the global warming issue. By just unplugging unused devices, we can save that much energy; I think this is pretty easy. Lets save the planet altogether.
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Posted by opoby Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:19am PDT
Recently I've been shopping for a freezer. The energy star model is 60 dollars more to save 12 dollars a year on a 400 dollar freezer.
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Posted by The mountain Rider Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:20am PDT
Hi.If you can prove global warming is a natural cycle,PROVE IT... The energy we burn is also directly connected to many environmental illnesses and cancers we suffer from. Therefore ,it would be wise to open the eyes of many "professionals" whom believe all can be cured by a pill.. so egnore our environment while others suffer on a daily basis because of our own ignorance. So you see, its not all about global warming, there is also much darker side that many refuse to see !
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Posted by PatriciaF Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:20am PDT
Is it more environmentally friendly to hire a cleaning lady? ;-)
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Posted by Lys Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:20am PDT
Hello Stephen K you are talking about Greg S but you are so stupid to make a comment like that but only time will tell how much of an goof you are. By following these simples steps you can save money on your bill. See you can leave comments pretaining to the topic everybody (Stephen K) Have a nice day!
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Posted by beth g Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:22am PDT
I try to save energy whenever I can. I turn off lights when I leave the room, and turned the hot water heater down. But...when I get up in the morning I want my coffee ready. So, I may be spoiled, but I won't be re-programming my coffee machine each day, or shutting the power off to my TV, DVD player or DVR.
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Posted by willl Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:22am PDT
good stuff here.
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Posted by fattyfatfatcross Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:22am PDT
I like wasting electricity. I leave all of my lights, tv, radio, and computer on 24 hours a day. I really don't think global warming is going to happen anytime soon.
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Posted by Lawrence S Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:22am PDT
I think that it is wise to unplug items you do not use day to day...However, lowering your thermostat in the winter and wearing a sweater and raising it during the summer nad wearing shorts also helps... We waste lots of energy on things we dont need...To save more...check out a free online auction at http://kakkle.com
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Posted by rmb3005 Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:22am PDT
Cheryl S, your battery powered portable vacuum talks? Wow, that's amazing!
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