Pull the Plug to Save

Have you ever received a really high power bill and thought what the …! We did and I took drastic measures to reduce our monthly and daily power usage to save money and costs. I started researching all the ways I could start saving immediately without having to spend any money on energy efficient lightbulbs, etc. I went ahead and did the research for you to start saving as fast as today if you read on and do these simple tips. Let’s pull the plug to save!

Did You Know…

Electronics and appliances (especially those with digital displays) continue to draw power when they are plugged in. This is also referred to as a phantom load or vampire power. Things like cell phone chargers and rechargeable batteries won’t stop drawing power as long as they are plugged in.

Savings in the House

Unplug all charges – phone chargers, laptop chargers, battery chargers, electric toothbrush chargers – Only charge things when you actually need to!
Get harder on the kids about turning lights off when you leave a room, or if you don’t really need it on. If kids want to charge their phones, they have to turn them off and leave them to charge (normally they would sit and play on them while trying to charge it)
Stop leaving phones on charge overnight! They only take one hour to charge. If you want them to charge quicker than that, put them on flight mode or turn them off.

Savings in the kitchen

Switch the microwave off at the wall. We don’t use the microwave every day so it doesn’t really need to be plugged in all the time. Also, turn toaster, kettle, and oven off at the wall when not in use.
Use a crock pot for cooking meals, or electric fry pan rather than the oven
If you do use the oven, do all your oven cooking at the same time. A little planning ahead helps with that and reduces the amount of time the oven is heating up.

So what now?

If you’re like me and you need statistics, numbers and data to be convinced then maybe these facts will help you reach for that power cord and unplug.

- According to Energy.gov, cell phone chargers use 2.24 watts of energy while plugged in and in use, but still continue to draw .26 watts once your phone is disconnected and the charger is left plugged in. Compound that number by similar devices that may be in your home, and the power consumption level can add up quickly.
- While the energy drawn by other electronics can vary widely, some use substantially more a cell phone charger. For example, a video game console plugged in and in standby mode can use about 70 watts of power.

Your challenge to Pull the Plug

I hope that this post gives you the encouragement to unplug and save a few dollars for yourself! Walk around your house and see how many things you can unplug out of the walls. How many habits can you and your family change to save power?

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