Everytime I’m over at my grandma’s for dinner, I notice that after she makes toast, she unplugs the toaster. I always figured it had something to do with an irrational fear of electrocution, but if that were the case, wouldn’t one want to NOT touch the plug at all? Perhaps I was projecting.
So finally I asked. Her response? “I’m saving electricity.”
I thought, saving it for what? A rainy day? How does unplugging something save electricity? If it’s not “on,” it’s not using power. Right?
Oh no, I was wrong. I was schooled by my grandma.
It’s called “standby electricity loss,” and as it turns out, any appliance, electronic device, whathaveyou, continues to draw energy from the socket even if it’s turned off. Like silent vampires sucking the money out of your pocket, anything with a plug is wasting energy while idle. If it’s plugged in, of course.
But if running around the house plugging and unplugging everything sounds like a pain (or inspires fears of electrocution in you like, uh, some people I know), then get a “Smart” Power Strip. They monitor and manage the electricity usage of anything you plug into ‘em, from computers to toasters.
By unplugging or managing the energy of appliances that are not in use, the average household can save several hundred dollars a year in energy costs.
So it’s not only “green,” it’s saving you cash.
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