Power$martToo Plugged In

TOO "PLUGGED IN"

he economic boom in our consumer-oriented society, the growth of new technologies, and the changing workforce -- more people working from home -- have dramatically increased the number of products that require power in the average home. Some of today’s homes sport multiple computers, printers, faxes, TVs, VCRs, CD players, and hair dryers.

Computer equipment is the fastest growing electric load in the world. In fact, energy use by computers could double by the year 2000. Unfortunately, much of the energy for computers is wasted because they are often kept on while not in use.

Furthermore, most idle appliances -- TVs, VCRs, cable boxes, DVD and CD players, cassette decks, cordless phones, burglar alarms, microwaves -- continue to consume energy when switched off. This energy keeps display clocks lit and memory chips and remote controls working. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory calculates that these energy “leaks” account for 5 percent of total domestic energy consumption, cost more than $3 billion annually, and spew 18 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere.

Idle TVs and VCRs alone cost U.S. consumers more than $1 billion a year, or some $30 per household. Emissions from power plants supplying that electricity are equal to the pollution caused by 2 million cars! New technology in Energy Star qualified TVs and VCRs will reduce wasted energy by up to 50 percent.

Power$mart Tips

Activate your “sleep” feature on Energy Star qualified home office equipment (PC, fax, printer, scanner) -- so that it automatically powers down when not in use to save up to $70 annually in electricity bills and improve product longevity.

Energy Consciousness Tip

Turning off your computer during long periods of non-use cuts costs and improves longevity.

It’s A Fact 

Each year, Americans spend more money to power home audio and DVD products when turned off than when actually in use.

Every kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity you avoid using saves more than 1½ pounds of CO₂ from being pumped into the atmosphere. If over the next 15 years, Americans bought only Energy Star qualified products, we would shrink our energy bills by more than $100 billion and eliminate as much greenhouse gas pollution as is produced by 17 million cars for each of those 15 years!