In an average middle class household you can expect one or more desktop computer, television, refrigerators, microwave, cell phone etc. If you live in a typical U.S. home, your appliances and home electronics are responsible for about 20 percent of your energy bills. These appliances and electronics include everything from clothes washers and dryers, to computers, to water heaters. Steps below describe the methods to save energy and hence money by some changes in your use of those electronic appliances.
Consider buying a laptop for your next computer upgrade; they use much less energy than desktop computers.
There is a common misconception that screen savers reduce energy use by monitors; they do not. Automatic switching to sleep mode or manually turning monitors off is always the better energy-saving strategy.
Make sure power management is activated on your computer.
To maximize savings with a laptop, put the AC adapter on a power strip that can be turned off (or will turn off automatically); the transformer in the AC adapter draws power continuously, even when the laptop is not plugged into the adapter.
Studies have shown that using rechargeable batteries for products like cordless phones and PDAs is more cost effective than throwaway batteries. If you must use throwaways, check with your trash removal company about safe disposal options.
Unplug battery chargers when the batteries are fully charged or the chargers are not in use.
"phantom" loads occur in most appliances that use electricity, such as televisions, stereos, computers, and kitchen appliances. In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. This can be avoided by unplugging the appliance or using a power strip and using the switch on the power strip to cut all power to the appliance.
Do not leave equipment in sleep mode overnight because it will continue to draw a small amount of power. Turn off all equipment every night — especially monitors and printers. Monitors usually consume twice the electricity as CPUs.
Turn off your personal computer when you're away from your PC for 20 minutes or more, and both the CPU and the monitor if you will be away for two hours or more.
Though buying a new appliance isn't cheap, replacing an old appliance, like a refrigerator, washing machine, or furnace -- with a new, energy-efficient model can significantly cut your energy bill.
And though buying a new appliance is a major investment, many states and utility companies offer substantial credits or other incentives to replace an outdated appliance with a more efficient one. Overall, turning off appliances while not in use and changing old ones with new ones can help you save those unnecessary energy losses you suffer.
Resources
www.energy.gov
www.electricity-guide.org.uk
www.ase.org
Signing Off,
Mrinmoy
Consider buying a laptop for your next computer upgrade; they use much less energy than desktop computers.
There is a common misconception that screen savers reduce energy use by monitors; they do not. Automatic switching to sleep mode or manually turning monitors off is always the better energy-saving strategy.
Make sure power management is activated on your computer.
To maximize savings with a laptop, put the AC adapter on a power strip that can be turned off (or will turn off automatically); the transformer in the AC adapter draws power continuously, even when the laptop is not plugged into the adapter.
Studies have shown that using rechargeable batteries for products like cordless phones and PDAs is more cost effective than throwaway batteries. If you must use throwaways, check with your trash removal company about safe disposal options.
Unplug battery chargers when the batteries are fully charged or the chargers are not in use.
"phantom" loads occur in most appliances that use electricity, such as televisions, stereos, computers, and kitchen appliances. In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. This can be avoided by unplugging the appliance or using a power strip and using the switch on the power strip to cut all power to the appliance.
Do not leave equipment in sleep mode overnight because it will continue to draw a small amount of power. Turn off all equipment every night — especially monitors and printers. Monitors usually consume twice the electricity as CPUs.
Turn off your personal computer when you're away from your PC for 20 minutes or more, and both the CPU and the monitor if you will be away for two hours or more.
Though buying a new appliance isn't cheap, replacing an old appliance, like a refrigerator, washing machine, or furnace -- with a new, energy-efficient model can significantly cut your energy bill.
And though buying a new appliance is a major investment, many states and utility companies offer substantial credits or other incentives to replace an outdated appliance with a more efficient one. Overall, turning off appliances while not in use and changing old ones with new ones can help you save those unnecessary energy losses you suffer.
Resources
www.energy.gov
www.electricity-guide.org.uk
www.ase.org
Signing Off,
Mrinmoy
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