Wednesday April 4, 2001

Leaking Electricity

Electricity: you pay the price every time you flip a switch. But here's a shocker, if you think you're conserving electricity, you are actually wasting juice and money. As much as 25% every month!

And turning off your TV, your CD player, your VCR, or your computer won't help, because virtually every appliance in your home is leaking electricity.

Lost through "standby" power your appliances use even when turned off. With the help of engineer Paul Greenland and his machine we can count which watts are leaking.

We learned that everything we plug in lets juice loose. From cordless phones to computers to the newest satellite and cable TV boxes. But what's a few watts here and there? We asked the brightest bulb at On Semiconductors, CEO Steve Hansen, to go through this house and crunch the current.

In the family room Steve says, "The VCR happens to be a big consumer. It's about 19 watts of standby mode."

What about the home office? "One of the biggest offenders we have in a home is a fax machine. This particular item consumes up to 30 watts of standby power."

Our total? Nearly 180 wasted watts. That's like burning three 60-watt bulbs around the clock.

Try these tips at your home to reduce the juice: