AttemptGreen.com

Have you ever paid attention to the lights and electronics you leave on?  Lately I’ve made myself much more aware when I leave things on and plugged in.  When you add up several of these items, it can really add up.

Simple things like making sure you turn a light off when you leave a room.  I am notorious for leaving the kitchen light on during dinner, even though we usually eat in the dining room or living room.  This is only because I usually have my hands full with plates the last time I pass the light switch.  Once I became aware of all the lights I was leaving on, I started to make sure I turn them off.

I also watch to make sure I unplug things.  I will often take my laptop to the living room to work on my blog (or whatever research I’m doing online).  Usually I won’t bother to plug it and just run on the battery.  Sometimes the battery is low though, so I have to plug it in.  The problem comes in when I’m done.  I will shut down my computer and move it back to the office, not bothering to move the cord right then.  If you’ve ever noticed, there is a little light (mine happens to be green) on the battery charger.  This green light stays on whenever it is plugged into the wall, whether it is plugged into the computer or not.  So that battery charger is actually sucking power, even though it isn’t charging anything.  This is true with any device (like a television) where even though the device is turned off, just because that light is on, it is still using energy.

I’ve been doing this since I started blogging back in January and I’ve actually seen a $10 decrease in my electric bill. Wow!  By simply being more aware, I’m saving energy and money.  I’m still looking out for things that can be unplugged, so stay tuned to see other ways I’ve cut down my energy consumption.