Save Energy: Unplug Your Cell Charger (and more)

From the e-mail I received about Tuesday's "I Turn Off my PC at Night. How About You?" blog, I must have hit a nerve -- at about the same time you got your utility bill.

There are plenty of worthwhile sites to help you figure out ways to reduce your power consumption. For instance, in Mobile Industry Aims for Greener Phones, I like the bit I read about unplugging your cell phone recharger and how much it electricity it could save. (According to Nokia, electricity to power thousands of homes. Loose numbers, I agree, but the concept is rock solid.)

Power Hungry

The Home Energy Saver site does a terrific job at examining your home and showing how you can save energy with some simple (and not so simple) ways to upgrades (one of which probably isn't with Vista).

From Power Splurge, an article I discovered in a San Diego newspaper, I found out that my big HDTV, along with the TiVo, DVD player, and all the rest of my gear, are chewing up lots of power. Luckily, my HDTV is a DLP, so the power consumption is lower than other types of TVs.

If you want to determine just how much power a device uses, think about testing it with a load meter. A buddy recommended the Kill a Watt Electricity Load Meter and Monitor. I'm figuring I can save the $35 I'd spend on the Kill A Watt just by switching to fluorescent bulbs and unplugging every unnecessary charger and gadget in the house.

You might also take a minute to read Becky Waring's Power-Saving Tips: Save Money by Putting Your PC on a Power Diet. She gives you a handful of smart ways to cut back on power use. One of Becky's suggestions is to switch to an energy saving PC. You can find out more about these machines in two articles: Dell Unveils 'Green' Servers and New Energy-Efficient Laptop To Be Sold At Wal-Mart

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