Your Home's Secret Energy Users

(HIT) - The electronic equipment and appliances in your home—TVs, video game consoles, cable boxes, DVDs, VCRs, along with computers, printers, battery chargers, etc.—now account for about 5 percent of your monthly electric bill, according to Edison Electric Institute. And this percentage is projected to only increase.

What is perhaps most surprising is that these electronic gadgets use about 40 percent of their electricity after you’ve turned them "off." This is because they are actually on standby, waiting for you to use them. To find out which products are always ‘on’, look to see if it features one or more of these clues:

• A remote control
• A continuous digital display (e.g., clock or blinking lights)
• A rechargeable battery (e.g., cell phone or hand tool)

You can cut the power to groups of electronics, such as computers and printers, or DVD players and recorders, TVs, and VCRs, by plugging them into a multi-outlet power strip and then flipping the power strip’s on-off switch to "off". You may want check the owner’s manual to make sure that you don’t lose programming memory or need to reset clocks before you take this action.

Keep in mind that other appliances in your home may be using energy continuously as well. These are appliances with a natural gas pilot light, such as a gas water heater, cooktop, oven, or fireplace. These could be adding to your monthly energy bill as well. To help get the most enjoyment and energy use from all your electronic equipment, look for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR® label. An ENERGY STAR® qualified TV, for instance, uses about 30 percent less energy than a standard TV.

For more information about ENERGY STAR® certified home electronics, please visit www.energystar.gov. For a free booklet, "More than 100 Ways to Improve Your Electric Bill", as well as information about making your entire home more energy efficient, please visit www.eei.org/wiseuse.


Courtesy: Home Improvement News and Information Center