Energy week: Slay vampires! (a.k.a. unplug gadgets)

This week's eco-topic: Energy.

Cut your electric bill -- by up to 20% -- without swapping out a single appliance or cutting back how much you use all the machines in your house. How? Easy: unplug stuff you're not using.

All those little gadgets you keep plugged in are quietly sapping electricity -- and the money out of your wallet. Estimates vary, but between 5% and 20% of the electricity you're paying for is spent to keep gadgets in standby mode displaying the time, or worse -- to keep those adapters and chargers warm for no reason at all.

Yes, that cellphone charger plugged into the wall while you run about town yapping on your phone is costing you. And charging your phone and iPod overnight is costing you extra too, because most chargers will keep drawing electricity even after your gadget is juiced up.

Of course, how much electricity gets wasted depends on the specific gadgets you're using. Which is why, last year, the California Assembly passed AB1970, a.k.a. the Vampire Slayer Act of 2006, to require labels showing how much energy is used when the device is in standby mode. (The bill is now in the state Senate.)

How to stop the energy and money drain? Well, Bush characteristically advises that "All Americans as individuals can also help conserve by shopping!" OK, OK, there's more to the quote: "for the most energy efficient appliances in the marketplace." Basically, newer appliances with the Energy Star label use the least amount of standby power.

But if you don't need new stuff, why not just -- unplug things? Got a lot of gadgets? Put them on a power strip so you can cut off the electricity to all of them with just one switch. That's the system I have set up -- I have three power strip: one in the kitchen, one behind the TV/ DVD combo, and one at the fax/stereo. Since I never use all of these in concert, at least two sets are turned off at any given time.

If even that seems hard for you, try these newfangled smart strips. Some apparently even have motion sensors that turn themselves off when you leave the room!

Got a smart strip recommendation? Leave it in the comments.

Photo by Timothy Smith via Flickr

Comments

[Bill]

Yes, unplug all electric gadgets not in use. Those little black power units usually take more power than you think, and it adds up 24/7. Get a chest freezer, opening the lid does not spill out cold air which only has to be recooled at your expense. Use air conditioning with care, it really sucks the juice, a ceiling fan will usually do the trick. Work at home if you can, the moment you start an engine of any sort, you are burning expensive ga$. If you must drive, keep it local and do at least two things on each trip. A 40 mile commute will take about an hour each way, cost a lot, test your patience and clog the freeways. All so you can sit at a desk, get on the computer and talk on the phone. All of which you could do just fine at home !

[not Paul Erhlich]

Going Green (unpluged). In most cases, it costs more to turn on and turn off an appliance than to turn it on and leave it on. The maximum power usage is when an appliance is turned on. Of course, I had this theory when I was in college; and, I applied it to girl friends where my theory mostly turned out to
left in the "turned off" position.
Which brings me to the "How serious are you about Going Green;" some 40 years ago, I attended a number of "Zero Population Growth" lectures/events
at UCLA, among other venues. Whatever happened to all those vocal ZPG
activists? If you have more than one child, you are not practicing what you
were preaching. With no children, I have been practicing "Negative Population Growth;" and you? (I continue to audit the course; but, I will not enroll in it.)
It's not easy being green.

[little bicycle w/ basket (and bells/no whistles)]

How many LAPD, LA County Sheriff, LA City Fire, and LA County Fire vehicles are EV and/or hybrid? Why?

[little bicycle w/ basket (no bells & whistles)]

Question #1: Who gets to use all this fuel, energy, clean water and clean air
that is alleged to be saved?
Answer (insert here):_______________________________________.

Question #2: Do people who have the most children pollute the most?
Answer (insert here): _______________________________________.

[Raphael]

Dear NotPaulErhlich:

That was true in the 1970s (about the cost of turning on and off appliances). That's no longer true with gadgets produced today. Even with a car: If you are going to be standing still for a minute, there's no point in leaving the engine running.

It's not easy been "green" but it's REALLY EASY to make yourself "greener."

BTW, I heard that the typical laptop charger is equivalent to a 15 watt bulb. Not a huge amount, but still signficant when you count up all those plugged-in chargers out there. I think a cell phone charger uses a lot less. But again, none of this is negligible. It ALL adds up.

[not Paul Erhlich]

Raphael, my query was a two parter; how have you done with ZPG?
I'm still practicing and promoting Negative Population Growth; so, I guess
I am greener than most people visiting/contributing to this site (from what
I read).
And, it looks like no one (yet) is willing to tackle the two part
question that little bicycle with basket adds to the discussion;
is it that people did not practice what they preach?
I have cast the first stone.

[Siel]

not Paul Erhlich -- I have no idea what the point of your totally off-topic comment is (thanks to Raphael for correcting the one bit of misinformed -- yet at least on-topic -- comment nPE made about the cost of turning gadget on and off), but considering that Emerald City's a single-author blog written by me, who has no children, it's a bit odd for you to be ranting here about people not practicing what they preach.

I'm all for people having fewer kids, but ranters like you aren't exactly helping the cause. Holier than thou attitudes aren't actually about fomenting change -- they're generally about making the preacher (you) feel better about themselves at others' expense. Quit it, cuz you're annoying. And not helpful. And off topic.

[Raphael]

I just think it's kind of funny, because unplugging appliances is one of the easiest things you can do to reduce your environmental impact (certainly an easier option than carpooling or taking public transit for many of us). So I don't know why people are so resistant!

If it's a pain to do it every day, then do it every other day. Or maybe just when you go on vacation. But really, this one is a "freebie".

Just because you could do more doesn't mean it's ok to do less.

[Beth Terry]

My husband and I are also practicing NPG (and one of us has had the surgery to make sure) but that doesn't stop us from doing our part to lessen our own environmental load. I LOVE my refurbished Smart Strip power strips because I don't have to remember to turn them off. All I do is turn off the power on the "control" device and everything else goes off automatically. For more info, see my review:

http://www.fakeplasticfish.com/2007/10/smart-strips-are-really-smart.html

Beth

[Siel]

Thanks for that link, Beth :)

On another note -- notPE just tried to post a comment -- about how green notPE is -- under a different username. Your future comments are not not gonna get approved, dude.