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Banish Energy Vampires!

Martin, Kansas City, MO

Before bed each night, I unplug all of the appliances that I can–clocks, computers, television, etc.

The Dolans say: A typical house hosts around 50 appliances that continue to draw power whether you are using them or not. Some of the biggest offenders include televisions, microwave ovens, DVR's like TIVO, game consoles and computers in "sleep" mode. Though individual devices use minuscule amounts of electricity, it can really add up over time!

This "vampire energy loss" represents between 5 and 8% of a single family home's total electricity use per year, according to the Department of Energy. On average, that's the equivalent of one month's electricity bill.

A variety of nifty energy monitoring devices are now on the market. You can turn off some of your most wasteful appliances by plugging them into fuse-protected power strips (also known as surge protectors) that, when turned off, can disrupt the flow of electricity when the appliances aren't being used.

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