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For a long time I've been hearing and reading that home electrical devices, even though not used, when plugged in, still draw a lot of energy. I didn't quite understand that concept until one day I set out to put it to a test.
At that time, my electrical bill was around $112 every month.
I made an inventory of every electrical device in my house that was plugged into an electrical outlet all day and night.
So, on the day of my next billing cycle, and thereafter, I started doing the following:
I unplugged two table lamps that were rarely used and plug them in only when needed.
I would unplug two baby monitors when not in use.
I would unplug two night lights during the day.
I combined the TV, DVD, TV Digital Box, and all other entertainment devices and plugged them into one surge protector with enough outlets to fit them all. When not in use, and overnight, all I had to unplug was one cord and they all were off.
I combined the computer, printer, modem, and all other computer related devices same way as the TV gadgets and unplug them all when not in use.
I would make sure coffeemaker, toaster or other kitchen devices were unplugged when not in use.
Also, every time we would leave the house, I'll do a final walk-around to make sure there was no forgotten light on, and all of the above were unplugged.
After doing this meticulously every single day, my next month electrical bill was $77.
Six months later, I'm still doing this every single day and my electrical bill is floating around $72 every month. That is $40 of savings every month.
Since then, I've decided to unplug several more devices when not in use. Also, for the house lights used the most, I replaced the lightbulbs with the CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs).
At the time of writing this article my electrical bill was $57.23. That's almost a half of what I used to pay. Can you imagine how much energy would be saved if everyone's energy bill is cut in half?
For earth day, it was suggested to turn off all lights to save the planet. My wife tells me that I do "earth day" every single day.
Now that you can see how to lower your electrical bill, you can save some money and save the planet. Now, go for it!
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