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You are wasting money right now. Just look around your house and see what’s on. Computer speakers or printer left on unnecessarily? TV? Even many of the things that are turned “off” are still wasting your money. You may as well be tossing cash out your front door.

According to Ecos Consulting, more than 90 percent of the electricity used by plug load devices (things that are plugged in) is consumed by entertainment products like TVs and DVD players and computers and their peripherals, such as printers and monitors. Ecos offers a Tapping Into Plug Load brochure to help you strategize a plan to start saving.

"Smart" surge protectors, like this Monster Power Center, can save energy by cutting power to electronic devices that go on standby.

Even worse, many of these devices consume most of their power when no one is present. That means they are left on unnecessarily or are using “phantom” power when they are “off.”

The good news is, there are some easy ways to recover that wasted money and start saving—right now.

1. Curb Vampire Power

Vampire, phantom or standby power is all the same thing. It occurs when some electronics continue to use electricity when they are “off” or in “standby” mode. Any electric device with a clock, LED light, soft keypad or remote control will draw some power when it is “off” but still plugged in. The average house can have 40 or more of these power vampires. They include everything from electric garage door openers to microwave ovens, coffee makers, TVs, computers, video game consoles, cable boxes, DVRs, (digital video recorders like TiVos) and mobile chargers—all sucking up energy unnecessarily.

The answer? Since some of the biggest power drains come from computers and home entertainment equipment, put some of these devices on switchable surge suppressors—and when you’re not using them, switch them off. This cuts all power to those devices, while continuing to protect them from harmful power surges. For more convenience, get a smart surge suppressor ($30 and more) that detects when a TV or computer goes into a low-power state (like sleep or off), and automatically cuts power to connected devices like DVD players and printers. Products like these are great if you have kids who leave things like computer speakers on. You can find them online or at electronics stores.

2. Put Your Computer to Sleep

Use the Power Management features on your computer. According to the EPA’s Energy Star program, you can save up to $75 or more per computer annually by activating system standby or hibernate features. Put monitors to sleep after 15 minutes of inactivity as well. And don’t use screen savers. They just use energy. The best screen saver is a blank screen that has been put to “sleep.”

3. Change Your TV Settings

You can actually save energy with a big-screen TV. Many TV displays come in vivid “torch mode” settings that are optimized for a retail store display but are far too bright for home use—and these vivid settings consume a lot more energy. Some TVs today come with home settings that you can switch to for energy savings when you first turn it on, so do this. THX, the audio/video certification company, says you can save $40 to $50 a year by taking a TV out of a vivid or dynamic mode. A video calibration disc can also help you fine-tune your picture for better enjoyment and savings.

These easy energy fixes are just a start. You can do a lot more to save more. According to research firm Parks Associates, people are interested in using today’s home electronics to save energy in a variety of ways.

Steven Castle is a contributor to Square Footage.

Steven Castle

Contributor to Square Footage

About the Author: Steven Castle is the cofounder of GreenTech Advocates, a resource for energy efficiency professionals, and is the managing editor for Electronic House magazine. Steve is a Continue reading...