Sunday, March 16, 2008

Turn Off, Tune Out, Unplug

Many appliances use electricity even when they are turned off. In fact, 25% of the energy a television uses is consumed when it is not even powered on. The only way to be sure your appliance is not using power is to unplug it, or to plug it into a power strip, which you can then switch off. (Power strips do consume a small amount of energy, but far less than the appliances when plugged in directly.)

Here's what you can save by simply unplugging or utilizing a power strip:

Desktop Computer
up to 42 pounds CO2/year

Microwave Oven
up to 72 pounds CO2/year

Television
up to 258 pounds CO2/year

DVD Player
up to 143 pounds CO2/year

Power Tool
up to 39 pounds CO2/year

That's about 550 pounds of CO2 pollution you could save every year by unplugging just these few appliances and electronics in your home.

1 comment:

This is a tie said...

You didn't even mention the energy wasted by having your phone charger plugged in. I finally figured this out and got a different type of charger for my phone but it is stunning how much they waste. Here is a link to a good story on "powerless chargers" Eco Charger seems to be the way to go.