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Set up Power Management on desktop computers and laptops

The average desktop PC wastes half of the energy it consumes and 75% of energy consumption occurs when no one is in front of the computer! Did you know that a desktop computer left on 24/7 without power management can use up 600 kWh per year? That same computer will use only 200 kWh per year if power management is enabled. Of all the energy savings possible from household plug-in electronics, power management accounts for as much as 40%! By turning on your computer’s energy saving features, you can save over $60 a year in energy costs and reduce your CO₂ emissions by nearly half a ton. Learn ten ways to reduce your computer’s energy consumption.

Use the ENERGY STAR® guide to activate power management settings on your computer or run the ENERGY STAR® Wizard for CPUs running Windows 2000 or Windows XP operating systems.

Turn Off the TV When No One is Watching

Turning off the television when no one is watching or watching 25% less television in general can reduce your household energy use by 0.6% every year!

Turn off computer peripherals when not in use

Most likely, when you turn on your computer, your printer, scanner, and other peripherals come on too, even though you may only use these devices once or twice per week. Keep them turned off, and turn them on only when you need them, or use a smart power strip that turns them on and off automatically when you start up or shut down your computer!

Use a smart power strip

Using a Smart Strip can cut the cost of vampire power in a home entertainment system in half. Even when your TV, DVD player, video game systems, and other electronics are turned off, they are still using electricity as long as they are plugged in. A Smart Strip makes it easy to cut off power to multiple devices when they aren't in use. Plug your TV or computer monitor into the "master" outlet on the Smart Strip, and plug any devices that you want to remain always on, such as a DVR or lamp, into the "constant-on" outlet.  Other devices will only come on when the TV or computer monitor does, while devices plugged into the “constant-on” outlet remain on all the time. 

Watch this video to learn how to use a smart power strip.

Unplug power adapters and small electronics/appliances when not in use

Standby power, vampire power, and phantom loads refer to the electric power consumed by electronic appliances, such as VCRs, televisions, stereos, computers, and kitchen appliances, while they are switched off or in standby mode. A very common "electricity vampire" is a power adapter which has no power-off switch.

Make sure to unplug your cell phone and reusable battery chargers from the outlet when not in use. These use energy even when not charging! You can also save energy by plugging electronics and appliances into power strips and turning them off when not in use.

Studies at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have estimated that standby power may account for 5% to as much as 10% of total residential household power-consumption in the U.S. That adds up to that $3-6 billion in energy costs and is equivalent to the power generated by between 18 and 36 average power stations.

Learn more about reducing vampire power from EnergySavers.gov.

Use programmable timers

People sometimes use timers to turn on and off lights while away from home, to start and stop the coffee pot, or to charge their wireless home phones. Another good use of timers is power tool charging. You may only use a power tool a few times a month, but it may be sitting in a charger 24/7! You can use a timer to charge your tools or electronic gadgets intermittently; they’ll be ready when you need them without wasting energy unnecessarily. Inexpensive timers are available at local hardware stores.