Reduce Your Carbon Footprint-Unplug It!

August 29, 2016

It's easier than you think to reduce your carbon footprint.

We certainly love our gadgets, don't we? Big screen TV's, DVD players, gaming consoles - a lot of fun to own but they can be the culprits if you've noticed a spike in your power bill. Even when they are not on, but still plugged in, our gadgets still use power. A general rule is the older and bigger a device is, the more power it will use even if it's turned off. According to an article by Kiera Butler of Mother Jones Magazine, there are six power-hungry devices we use every day that if unplugged, would reduce our carbon footprint and save energy:
1. Cable boxes: In an article printed in the New York Times, those little cable boxes are energy hogs. The EPA estimates that your box setups use about 500 kilowatt-hours per year, as much as your refrigerator.
2. Computers: The EPA says computers account for 2-3% of overall household energy use. Sleep mode is okay, but not as good as unplugging it.
3. Televisions: That decade-old TV in your guest bedroom is a real energy hog. Flat screen TV's use almost twice as much power as much smaller cathode-ray devices.
4. Audio/Video: The power consumption of all your iPod docking stations, home theaters, DVD players, and Blu-Ray players adds up quickly.
5. Gaming consoles: A recent Carnegie Mellon University study revealed that gaming consoles now account for about 1% of total household energy use.
6. Digital picture frames: They look nice, but their energy use is significant. Look for an Energy Star version if you want to save power.

Source: motherjones.com