Slash High Electric Bills: The Key to Savings This Winter - CNET

Trying to keep your utility bills low isn't easy at the best of times, but it can be much more difficult during the holidays when you're home more often than normal. Whether you're hosting holiday parties for the whole family, or everyone is simply home from school and work for the week between Christmas and New Year's, your December energy bill can skyrocket. According to a recent CNET survey , 80% of adults are already stressed about utility bills, but the culprit behind your sky-high power bill might be surprising. Zooey Liao/CNET You might think your TV, coffee maker and game console are completely off, but you're wrong. While the power switch may be off, if they're plugged in, they're still silently sucking power 24/7. It's called "phantom load," and these little energy vampires are adding a very real, very stupid cost to your bill every single month. But is the effort of unplugging them actually worth it? We'll break down exactly how much money you can save by doing so. Plus, we've got a few other simple tips for your thermostat and laundry that you're probably getting wrong, too. Don't miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source. Can unplugging appliances actually save me money? It might seem counterintuitive to unplug your appliances. After all, they're off, so why would they be sucking up energy? The fact is, household appliances actually still use energy even when they are turned off but still plugged in, according to Energy.gov . Whether the device is switched off or in standby mode, some of the worst offenders are: A device that may still use energy in the form of lights or other displays showing the device is off. Desktop computers that were put into sleep mode instead of being powered off. Chargers that still draw power even if the device is not connected. Media players that continually draw power, especially ones that still might scan for updates in the background. Phones with displays that show when not in active use, like cordless phones. New smart home appliances like refrigerators, washers and dryers that have always-on displays, internet connectivity and electronic controls. Reduce your standby power to save electricity and money Many people are shocked to realize how much standby power can add up. Standby power accounts for 5% to 10% of residential energy use, according to the Department of Energy . How much you save could depend on how many devices you use -- and your habits with them. For instance, an educational experiment from Colorado State University found that a combo radio/CD player/tape player used 4 watts continually, whether it was in use. Unplugging it when not in use would save 100 times as much power during the lifetime of the device. A study published by the Natural Resources Defense Council (PDF) found that reducing the load from always-on devices would save consumers a total of $8 billion annually and avoid using 64...

Preview: ~500 words