Conserve energy using energy-saving electronics

By Chris McGinn

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Do you know that new 50-in. plasma screen could be costing you more than $100 a year in energy costs?  What about the impact of leaving your computer on when you're not working? If you want to make a difference for the environment and for your wallet, consider these simple energy-saving tips for your home electronics.

Get informed

How much energy are those appliances using? You can locate general calculators online or via your local energy provider to give you a general sense of how various devices in your home are racking up watts on your electricity bill.  Mygreenelectronics.com offers an easy-to-use calculator to see how your TV, DVD player, computer and other devices are affecting your bottom line.

Another option is to use a device called the Kill-a-Watt,  an electricity monitor that various appliances and electronics equipment can be plugged into to indicate the actual energy usage as well as predicted daily, monthly or yearly costs to operate.

Buy smart

The easiest way to save electricity on your consumer electronics is to buy smart to begin with. The EPA's Energy Star program labels a wide variety of home appliances and household electronics for quick information about which models use the least energy.

The Energy Star label identifies devices that use lower amounts of energy in “Standby” mode. Of course, most of a unit’s energy use is when it is “on” so this is not the total answer.  You may have to do more research.

Internet sites such CNET have detailed charts of how various HDTVs stack up when it comes to energy consumption. 

Also, as of November 2008, the EPA will institute new, more stringent requirements for televisions receiving the “Energy Star” label. The new requirements will label sets that are 30 percent more efficient in both Standby and Active/On modes. In general, choosing a smaller screen or an LCD screen will use less electricity than other options. A 50-in. plasma screen TV could cost more than $100 to operate compared with just more than $50 for a 40-in. LCD screen. In Introduction to Home Theater, you'll learn how to properly assemble the correct components for the best sound and picture.

Go to sleep

According to the EPA, if all office computers and monitors were set to sleep when not in use, the country could save 44 billion kWh or $4 billion worth of electricity and avoid the greenhouse gas emissions equal to those of 5 million cars each year.

Putting your computer into sleep mode is preferred to just using a screen saver, which does nothing to reduce energy consumption.

It is very easy to tell your computer to “go to sleep.”  Both Microsoft Vista and Microsoft XP allow users to manage their power settings.  Vista’s default plans includes a power saver option available under the “Power Options”  in the Programs list. On the Select a power plan page, click Create a power plan.  Select the Power Saver option and give it a name in the Plan name box. Finally, you can use Change Settings to customize display and sleep settings.

In Windows XP, the power setting options are found in the Control Panel. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, and then click Power Options. From that dialogue box you can select from several pre-configured profiles or create custom profiles based on your system’s needs. Mac users can select “Energy Saver” under their System Preferences to begin saving more energy.

Don't forget about those game systems, too. While they use just a couple of watts when in standby mode, if you have them on while you are running errands or sleeping, they are burning through lots of energy.

Carl Nelson of Hardcoreware.net did an in-depth comparison of the power use of the Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo Wii reveals that the hands-down favorite for low energy use is the Wii, using less than 20 watts even in full game play. Compare that to 150-200 watts for gaming or even idle console mode for the other systems. Even the power-conscious Wii can be improved by turning off the WiiConnect24 setting, which raises the standby power usage to nearly 10 watts an hour. Microsoft’s Xbox system has an "Auto Off" feature, but you have to set it up through the Console Setting menu. The feature automatically turns off the console after six hours of inactivity.

Slay the energy vampires

Every blinking light, digital clock and sleeping appliance in your home is sucking energy out of the system. The Department of Energy estimates that as much as 4 percent of the energy consumed in the U.S. are due to these “energy vampires,” costing consumers up to $3 billion annually and equaling the output of 26 average power plants.

How can you fight them:

• Plug in--Begin by plugging items like TVs, DVD players, and other electronic devices into power strips that you turn off when you leave the house or go to bed.
• Unplug “wall warts.” These wall warts are the cell phone, mp3, and digital camera chargers and other plugs that drain electricity from the system. Once your device is full of charge, unplug. One product can automate turning off your peripherals. The Smart Strip senses when you turn off one device such as a computer or TV set and automatically powers down other equipment plugged into the power strip. Costing about the same as other power strips, approximately $40 for a 10-outlet strip, it can potentially pay for itself very quickly. 

Take small steps

Even small changes like lowering the brightness on your computer and TV screens can save power.

Identify possible places to save power by walking around your house at night and noting all the indicator lights on machines you don’t realize are running.
 
It’s very easy to make changes in your power consumption. So, start saving the world, one watt at a time.