On Halloween, I figure it’s appropriate to slay vampires…energy vampires! These vampires are all the things you have plugged in that use energy even when they’re turned off. And they’re costing you a lot of money: up to 20% of your electric bill, and costing Americans about $10 billion per year. If this energy wasn’t wasted, we could shut down 30 coal-fired power plants.
How can you cut down on energy vampires?
- Use the energy-saving features built into most computers.
- Unplug energy-sucking appliances when they’re not in use.
- Purchase a “kill-a-watt” device to measure the energy consumption of your home appliances and electronics when turned on and turned off.
- Next time you need a new appliance, purchase one that is Energy Star rated.
See www.sierraclub.org/gtips for more tips for energy efficiency.
