Unplug your toaster: Like other appliances in your home, the toaster draws power simply because it's plugged in. It's called standby power or vampire power (because it sucks energy in the middle of the night) and it accounts for 5 percent of residential energy use, costing US consumers over $4 billion per year. To cut your use of standby power unplug appliances such as toasters, electric can openers and hairdryers when they're not in use.
You know, I have heard this before and I just read (maybe in John's This Old House magazine?) that you can buy something like a circuit interrupter (no idea if that is what it is called) that you plug your appliances into and you can turn it on/off with the flick of a switch...that way you wouldn't have to plug/unplug every time you used stuff. Food for thought ~ if I find them (+ use it) I'll report back.
The Green Year - Helmer
1 comment:
Good point....We all should help to save energy. I read in Time Magazine the other day that if everyone would use florescent ES bulbs, we would drop consumption by a huge amount every year.
When you build your house, put the outlets near the kitchen counter on a switch. This way you can turn everything off when your done. Easier to accommodate during construction than after the fact.
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