Leaving home for an extended period of time- such as going to work, seeing a movie, or taking a trip? In a previous blog, Grady's GreenLiving Tips detailed "energy vampires"- devices that can utilize energy even when not on, but still plugged in to an outlet. Though it is not necessary to unplug every device/ appliance when leaving the home, unplugging these several common household appliances can save energy:
1) Desktop computer/ laptop computer: Leave the computer plugged in, asleep, all day? To save energy, remember to shut down the desktop or laptop computer after every use and to unplug the power cord from the wall.
2) Plug-in cord/ transformers: Cell phones, tablets, and similar devices all have power cords. Instead of leaving the cord plugged in to the wall all day, unplug from the wall once the device is finished charging.
3) Toaster/ Coffee-makers: Even when not in use, toasters and coffee-makers utilize a lot of energy. Remember to unplug after making breakfast in the morning.
4) Hair dryer/ curling iron: These, and similar, appliances are big "energy vampires" and use a lot of energy when still plugged into the outlet. It saves energy to completely unplug these devices and store them after each use.
5) Lamps: Though not often thought about, lighting typically utilizes more than ten percent of the total energy use inside the home1. Unplug lamps when leaving the home for extended periods of time, or plug table and/or floor lamps into a power strip and simply unplug the entire strip.
1. This figure is from the article "10 most costly appliances" posted on aol.com.
Grady Management, Inc. was founded in 1965 and continues to provide full service residential, commercial and consulting real estate firm in the greater Washington and Baltimore metropolitan area. Learn more about Grady Management on our website or Facebook page.
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