To save money on electricity, you do the smart thing and turn lights off when you leave rooms, never leave tv's or computers running when you're away, and always try to close the door behind you. You've covered all your bases, right? Wrong. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a whopping 75% of all energy consumed by electrical devices is used when the devices are turned off. WHAAAAAAT???? That's madness! Crazy as it sounds, it is very accurate. Devices such as TV's, computers, Blu Ray Players, cell phone chargers, etc. all continue to pull electricity even when they aren't being used. Don't believe me? Put your hand on your cell phone charger when it's not charging your phone. It's still warm, huh? Boom! Science lesson complete. To combat this, the Department of Energy recommends that you unplug devices whenever they aren't in use. To make this task easier, I recommend that you hook your appliances up to a power switch. By doing this, you can cut off the power too all devices hooked to the strip by flicking one single button. It will save you a lot of time and hassle constantly plugging and unplugging electronics. It may seem like a pain in the butt first, but it will quickly become habit. Terrapass.com states that you can save as much as $87 in a year by buying one power strip and using this method. Just imagine how much you could save if you used this tip in every area of your house? Try it out and you may not have the urge to cry when you see your next energy bill...
