Energy Challeges

I have decided to break this audit down into individual energy challenges. Each week I will look at a few ways to save energy around the house.

We all want to protect the planet. But for many of us, living in an EnergyStar home or driving a hybrid or installing solar panels are out of reach. The good news is, small changes can make a big difference...so that is where I'll start.

Week 1: Challenge Stop standby waste

Unplugging TVs, DVD players, computers, and other major electronics when they're not in use can keep thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide out of the air each year, according to Al Gore's site An Inconvenient Truth. (Even when they're turned off, their standby consumption-- also known as "phantom" loads-- is about equal to running a light bulb continuously.) To avoid the hassle of constantly plugging and unplugging, here's an easy solution that I have implemented around the house: plug several electronics onto one power strip and switch it off. As for small gadgets like cell phones, digital cameras, and hand-held vacuums — once they're charged, keep them unplugged until needed.

If you want your home to look uber-stylish-- check out whatFrench designer Gilles Belley has come up with: the "Energy Saving Adaptor". The system uses modular plugs which link together to form a power-strip of connectors, these hang from the side of a desk and each module monitors the energy status of a single device and displays that information via blue LED lights on the surface. When a connected device goes into "standby" mode, the lights alert the user, and within three minutes the module automatically shuts down, thus conserving otherwise wasted energy. Additionally, these modules look roughly a thousand times better than the power-strips we've all been buying at the dollar store, which never hurts. No word yet on when or if these will be made commercially available.

Chic and efficient. That's cool.