While the thought of turning off or unplugging all of the appliances and electronic devices in your home while not in use seems like an impractical one, recent analysis performed by the environmental website fuelfix (fuelfix.com) shows that as homeowners, consumers can save at least $100 a year by simply making it a habit to turn off or unplug as many items as possible when not in use.

The analysis performed by fulfix.com shows estimates for standby power costs for various household items on an annualized basis:

Among the more mundane findings: your coffee maker may be costing you more than $1 per year — even when it’s not making coffee. Among the more absurd findings: it would cost you nearly $1,500 — the price of a serviceable used car — if you left your microwave running for the year.

According to the Berkeley Lab, this often wasteful expenditure of so-called “standby” power contributes to about 1 percent of global CO2 emissions. “Almost any product with an external power supply, remote control, continuous display (including an LED), or (that) charges batteries will draw power continuously,” the Lab explained in an online report.

Berkeley Lab’s report shows that almost any product with an external power supply, remote control, continuous display (including an LED), or charges batteries will draw power continuously. Sometimes there is no obvious sign of continuous power consumption and you need a meter to be certain.

For a complete home energy audit, please contact John’s Electric today!