Don’t let these appliances and devices waste your money or contribute to the carbon pollution!
We’ve talked about energy vampires before, but do you know how much they can cost you? Our home’s gadgets, from our microwaves and toasters to computers and gadget chargers, can make a significant portion of energy costs on your monthly bills. How significant? Let’s take a look…
Devices that are not in use or are set to standby (or sleep) mode, are actually using energy round the clock and can account for as much as a quarter of your home’s regular power consumption. According to the Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC) in the US, the cost of these energy vampires can total up to $19 billion USD in wasted energy.
Not only do these appliances, gadgets, gaming consoles, computers, etc., cost you and the global economy, the wasted energy also results in an excess of carbon emissions that contribute to the pollution problems we are all facing. In spite of the increase in more efficient gadgets, the fact is there is just more of them on the market and in use. Efficient or not, more products will lead to an increased use.
How can we reduce the costs, financial and environmental, of these energy vampires? Here are five tips on how to reduce the energy waste in your home…
1. Unplug devices that aren’t in use and that are rarely used.
2. Plug devices into a power strip.
3. Consider installing a whole house switch that can remotely control the outlets.
4. Plug devices into timers.
5. Adjust the power settings of devices, for example computers and video game consoles.