Unplug Appliances and Electronic Devices
Electrical and Lighting, Green Home, Thinking Green, Video by Danny Lipford
While a television, stereo equipment, or computer may be turned off, they’re still drawing energy from your home. It’s called “phantom power” and it uses about 450 kilowatt hours of electricity in every home each year. Add up all the homes in the U.S. and you’re talking about the output of 26 power plants!
When you consider that every kilowatt hour releases almost 1½ pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the problem is magnified even more. To prevent this waste of electricity and increase in pollution, unplug appliances and electronic devices when not in use, or plug them into a surge protector so you can turn off several at once.
