It’s time to unplug!

March 22, 2009 – 8:05 pm

By Petya Kirkova

May be you didn’t catch up on the whole "green" hue of energy saving tips form the beginning, but now is the time to get with the program. I want to be able to say, "Hey this is the right thing to do," and get people to be energy smart, but in a not-so-perfect world saving the planet is not always enough…unfortunately!

When it comes to saving money, then things get real serious. Mortgage payments can’t be reduced. College tuitions can’t be reduced. Metro cards will most likely become even more expensive, so if you can cut down the cost of your electricity bill and at the same time decrease your carbon footprint, why not try a few things.

Have you heard of vampire power? And no, I am not talking about the tween flick "Twilight". Believe it or not, turning off your appliances does not prevent electricity from leaking. As long as they are plugged in, you are paying. According to the Grinning Planet, the cost to consumers and business for the electricity lost to vampire power in the US is estimated to be $4 billion annually. The power sucking gadgets can be found in every home. Just look around your apartment and if you have, and I am sure you do, a TV, DVD player, microwave, computer, air conditioner, printer, etc., make sure to unplug them before you go to bed. Even a cell phone charger falls into the same category, so as convenient as it might be to have it plugged all the time, somehow it just seems better receiving a smaller electric bill at the end of the month.

Hey, this is the right thing to do even for your wallet!