Turn off computers and TVs when not in use and saver on your utility expenses

09:47 AM EST on Monday, November 28, 2005

BY LYNN ARDITI
Journal Staff Writer

Part eight of a series

If you turned down the thermostat and shut off all the lights before you left the house this morning, you may think you don't need to read this story.

You would, however, be wrong.

Conserving energy these days is about a lot more than thermostats and light bulbs. For instance, did you leave your house with the computer still on? Is your cell phone charger plugged into the wall? How about the TV?

Americans love their gadgets. But if you neglect to unplug them, they can act like idling taxi-cabs with the meter running.

The energy consumed from these electronic devices amounts to about 5 percent of all the power used in the country and costs more than $3 billion each year, according to the federal Energy Information Administration. The agency calls them "vampire" consumers.

Consider your computer. If you leave it and the monitor on full-power all day, seven days a week, (consuming about 150 watts of electricity) it costs about $15.42 a month, or $185 a year, according to an analysis based on rates from Rhode Island's electricity distribution company, National Grid. (The current cost for households in the state is 14.1 cents per kilowatt-hour.)

Journal photo illustration / Kris Craig

By contrast, if your computer and monitor normally run for only 8 hours a day, and on a power-saving standby mode (which uses about 10 watts) for the other 16 hours, the electricity cost is cut by more than half, to roughly $70 a year, a savings of $115.

And that's just for one computer. If you have two or three computers, the savings doubles, to $230 a year, or triples, to $345 a year. (Learn more about power-saving devices for computers by checking out the federal government Web site, http://www.energystar.gov)

Then there's your television. The cost for a 27-inch TV that runs for 8 hours a day is $3.88 a month, or $46.52 a year. (That's assuming it uses about 113 watts.) Even if it is turned "off," a typical TV could still consume 6 watts or about $7 a year in electricity charges just by being plugged into the wall socket. Also worth noting is that certain TVs with remote controls use more energy during the 20 hours that they're off than during the 4 hours that they're on, according to the federal Energy Information Agency's Web site for kids (http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids).

Power wasted by small electronic devices also can add up. Consider the AC adapters, those little square blocks that plug in to charge cell phones, iPods and personal digital assistants. Ever wonder why those adapters feel hot when you leave them plugged in, even if they aren't charging anything? It's because they're still drawing power.

If you have 10 AC adapters plugged in that run all the time, each using 1 watt of electricity, the cost would be $1.03 a month, or $12.35 a year.

With reports by Staff Writer Timothy C. Barmann

Energy guzzlers

* A computer left on when not in use. EPA's Energy Star Web site says you can save up to $100 per unit by using a power management system on the computer and monitor.

* Some TVs with remote controls that can use more energy during the 20 hours they're off than during the 4 hours they're used.

* A cable TV or satellite set-top box that uses an average of 10.8 watts of power -- even when you're not watching TV -- costs $1.13 a month in electricity.

* Those blinking clocks on your microwaves and VCRs.

Energy savers

* If you're big on holiday light displays, think small -- as in small light bulbs. The mini-bulbs use about one-tenth the electricity as the bigger ones. And the best energy savers are the new Light Emitting Diode (LED) holiday lights. (An added plus: If one bulb goes bad, the others still work.)

* Turn off your holiday lights after a set time at night; they'll use about one-third as much energy. To keep from forgetting, plug in a timer.

* Reheat leftovers in the microwave or toaster oven; it's more efficient than using the stove or oven.

* Place small pots on small burners so as not to add unnecessary heat.

* Keep the refrigerator and freezer full; it generally operates more efficiently that way. If the refrigerator or freezer is empty, turn if off or fill it with plastic jugs with lids on to take up space.

* Clean underneath the refrigerator. Balls or toys can block hot air from escaping from the compressor coils.

* Wash and rinse most clothes in cold water.

* Dry clothes in successive loads; a warm dryer uses less energy.

Source: Progress Energy, headquartered in Raleigh, N.C.; and Florida Power & Light Co.