This spring as we clean out the closets and try to organize our “digital-selves” (get the photos of our cameras and install virus protection – finally!) it’s the perfect time to make sure we are as green as we can be.
One area that usually has lots of room(s) for improvement is our home energy usage. We all know that switching to CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lighting) saves energy but what if you could save up to one month’s energy cost by unplugging electronics when you’re not using them? Things like DVD players or even VCRs, game consoles, and stereo systems all drain power as they sit ready to be switched on.
By some estimates, every home has 10-50 devices that are electricity “vampires”. They are plugged in but although they are switched off, they still draw power. They’re designed that way to turn on instantly. One way to avoid the energy drain is to unplug them when they are not in use but a company called APC has come up with a better way: APC has developed a surge protector for your computer and peripherals that not only shields you from damaging electric spikes but that also shuts down power to the peripherals when the PC is not in use. Called the APC Power Saving SurgeArrest, it has a master socket that the computer is plugged into and six additional outlets for the peripherals. Once the computer goes into sleep mode, power to the other outlets is cut off. Not only do you continue to be protected from power surges but APC estimates a savings of $25 per year depending on the number of peripherals you have and your daily usage pattern. The APC Power-Saving SurgeArrest (P7GT) also has telephone/fax/modem protection to prevent power surges from reaching your equipment over data lines. It carries an estimated retail price of $34.99
We would still need to turn off another 30-40 devices to realize a full month’s energy savings but hopefully, the SurgeArrest’s capabilities can be broadened to include home entertainment centers with blinking clocks on nascent DVD players and yes, even turntables. For more information go to www.apc.com
