Are you guilty of any of these crimes? Leaving appliances or chargers plugged in while not in use can not only be a fire hazard (think irons or coffee pots), but they are also pulling "phantom electricity", which accounts for 5 Billion Kilowatts wasted per year! Any appliance that has a digital clock or standardized light is guilty of "stealing" electricity, but they are not the only offenders. Cell phone and camera chargers are perfect examples of items that don't need to be plugged in when not in use. By leaving household appliances in "standby mode" consumers may lose anywhere between $10 and $80 a year. This is not a huge amount, I realize, but doesn't it bother you that that extra money is going to the electric company (mine is FPL- Florida Power and Light) and not in your pocket? Every time I look and see a phone charger plugged in with no phone attached, it bugs me because I know it's continuing to drain electricity that is not being used. Biggest offenders in your house are: Plasma TVs, Stereos with surround sound and Printers. According to HP, your printer will last longer if you remember to turn it off every night, so there's an extra bonus. The best way to handle turning off a bunch of stuff at one time (like printer and computer) is a power strip. You may have one lying around, but they can be purchased at your local (or mega) hardware store for less than $10. So, "Let the Sun Shine In!", but turn your unused appliances off!
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