Ideal Bite

I had the same question as Letitia, and I was glad to see it answered. Sources are important, especially when it comes to statistics. The more we learn, the more we can do. Knowledge is power, after all!

here is a power strip (surge protector) that saves energy and turns off automatically! available here at REAL GOODS item number 13-0062 http://www.gaiam.com/retail/product/13-0062 this (I think) is better than the ones you listed in your tip. regards, Aurora Fox "To cherish what remains of the Earth and to foster its renewal is our only legitimate hope of survival." ---Wendell Berry

Great job all. Another option I have been working on is using a security system/home automation system to shut down certain outlets when away or asleep. It's not a particularly original idea, I don't think. I'm working with a guy building a house that has a security system w/ x10 interface to shut down certain outlets in his office and A/V room when he leaves during the day. The outlets have one switched plug in and one always on (for things that need power for programming). I don't have a security system, so he's my guinea pig for now...

Thanks for this great tip, but what needs unplugging and what doesn't? Lamps? toaster? Just stuff with a remote or a clock?

i'm wondering- would it work to just flip the breaker to certain rooms before you leave the house? if there are some rooms that definitely don't need power and are on a separate breaker (ie bathrooms, stove separate from refrig, bedroom w/o alarm clock..), can you just flip the whole thing off at the box and prevent power drain that way? i mentioned this to one friend, who said there may be more of a drain "refilling the capacitors" when you turn the breaker back on, but i'm not sure how to check if this is true or not...? ideas? thx

Is it safer or necessary to shut off TV, cable box and then the power strip? Right now, I shut these off and then the power strip. Same question about turning off breakers my are not marked quite accurately. Thanks

You misquoted your source, unless they have changed their page since your post. They say "...40% of all electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off," while you say "...40% of all electricity is used to power home appliances while they're turned off." This is a huge difference in most cases. Heating, A/C, refrigerator, hot water, lights, etc. are not considered electronics and use a majority of home energy. Where I live my monthly bill is nearly $100 in winter but under $15 in summer, whether or not I keep my computer plugged in at night. I still think it is a good idea to unplug some of the significant power-drains, but the energy savings probably won't be anywhere near 40% for anybody. To see how much energy something is using (whether on or off), you can use a product such as the "Kill-a-watt," which costs about $25.

I live in the part of the country rampant with Thunderstorms and various other electrical surges. Everything I own is on a powerstrip that provides surge protection. Doesn't turning off the powerstrip turn off the surge protection? I like the idea, just not at the cost of losing all of my equipment. I do like the smart powerstrip mentioned above, but to replace my whole house full - ouch. Bit by bit I guess. I just keep seeing all these tips about using powerstrips, but nobody mentions the surge suppression/protection part of them.

I need some clarification - sorry to ask a dumb question - Do I need to unplug my power strip, or just switch the button to the "off" position?

For those of us who work in the digital industry, I use a power strip on top of my desk, I plug in my monitor, charger, printer and light. When I leave for the day, I take my laptop with me and turn off power strip to reduce the phantom load. Where I work we have over 1000 employees that cost somwhere around ~$5K in phantom load a month... Use your power strips they can make a difference! There was a system that was on the show 'Ed'. He installed some simple application into his main light switch and with a few adjustments was able to set all the switches he wanted to control, wirelessly. I don't have the details but if you go to the TV station site you can review one of the earlier episodes. Happy Savings