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TIP
OF THE MONTH: Unplug Phantom Electric Devices
The U.S.
government's Energy Star program says that 40% of
electricity used by electric devices in the home is used
up while electric devices are turned off in standby
mode. By unplugging these energy suckers when they're
not being used, you can save up to 26% on your monthly
electric bill. This "phantom load", as it's called, is
particularly high on television sets, computers, Tivo,
cable and satellite dish boxes, stereo systems and home
entertainment centers with DVD players and VCR's. All of
these electric devices will consume anywhere from 10 to
50 watts while in standby mode over the course of a
month. That is approximately 6 to 30 kilowatt-hours
every month, which could amount to savings of
approximately $10 per month, no to mention a huge load
off the environment. Every bit of electricity we can
save is less Carbon Dioxide put into the atmosphere by
fossil fuel burning electricity power plants.
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