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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 claudia Sat Mar 7, 2009 11:53am PST
thank you
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Posted by Dawn Sat Mar 7, 2009 12:00pm PST
I need to take a nap.....with the lights turned off....with my coffee pot plugged in waiting to brew me some java...lol
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Posted by Jim Sat Mar 7, 2009 2:13pm PST
I had a fridge in the garage that just had soda and beer. By getting rid of it, I saved about $10 per month or $120 per year. Not to mention the kids drank less soda and I drank less- well let's not get crazy!
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Posted by Ray Sat Mar 7, 2009 3:23pm PST
Well folks, my time is more valuable then my money, so forget about appliance energy, I want to keep my inner energy and not waste my time, thank you. Let's make products that do not waste energy.
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Posted by gerri Sat Mar 7, 2009 4:23pm PST
I save energy as I like to SAVE MONEY on my bills..I'm real!! I do however, feel a little guilty and think about my grandkids and what they are going to have to live with in their futures. I try to recycle plastic bottles, etc. Every little bit will count. Any one ever heard of the floating garbage island out by New York? That's crazy. All the garbage had banded together and is a HUGE mess. I can not fanthom the horrors of the future on garbage....
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Posted by Carlos Sun Mar 8, 2009 12:36am PST
I totally agree with wjmmh
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Posted by Owlshaman Sun Apr 5, 2009 2:13am PDT
Do like I do, Spring comes head for the hills, Fall comes hole up for the winter. No power being used period for 5 to 6 months works for me. Oh and I really, really like trees,Rocks, Birds, other Critters as well. People, well I aint got much use for most of them, they are whiney irritating, sensless little beasties that do the most bizarre things for absolutley no apparent reason. Sort of an Evolutionary dead end if you ask me.
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Posted by buggs Sun Apr 5, 2009 7:30am PDT
should we unplug our clocks when we aren't checking the time? or our cordless phones when not in use? yes, we waste a lot as a nation...that just will not change.
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Posted by doris Thu Apr 30, 2009 2:37pm PDT
saving energy, saving money every month, helping the environment, thinking green - wishful thinking, easier said than done.
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Posted by jnnttbdrd1094@att.net Thu May 14, 2009 12:29pm PDT
I'm tired of seeing my hard-earned money go to pay my electric and gas bill every month. I have unplugged my coffeemaker, switched off lights, switched to cold water washing and hanging my clothes to dry. I've made sacrifices over "modern day convienences" only to be hit with "a rate increase" by the utility companies. That's where I get irritated with the utility companies, the politicians and the goverment. All our efforts and sacrifices we make to try to save money and to help the enviroment, only amounts to a small savings. I still keep cutting back. I haven't thrown in the towel. I still see a little more money staying in my wallet compared to before I made changes in my life. I have to agree with some of the comments made. Until the "green house stuff" become more economically and readily availably for all, in obtaining a better, more efficient way of providing energy and cleaning up the enviroment, will there be a difference made. I am not going to worry about what's happening in other countries. We need to start at home first. We need to make our country more self-sufficient, improve our economy, and supply jobs in making cleaner and safer products, find cheaper and better ways to supply energy, and to reduce the amount of dangerous waste going into our enviroment. Only then, can we make everyone else "step up to the plate". Our goverment needs to focus here, at home, first before asking other countries to make changes. We have to demand that of our goverment. We need to be stronger, better and a healthier country. It's the only way to secure our futures and our families' future.
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