Electricity is something that we take for granted but that we are constantly looking to reduce our usage of. There is a good reason for this.

Electricity is expensive; reducing your usage even by just a little can make a big difference to the amount you need to spend each year. In fact, the average electricity bill in Australia at the moment is between $1,500 and $2,000.

On top of this the production of electricity does have an impact on our environment.  Although many companies are looking at ways to make the process of production more environmentally friendly it is still easier for us to simply lower consumption.

You may have called an emergency electrician in the past when you’ve had a problem. But, did you know that the same firm can help you to locate areas where you can make energy savings. One of the biggest drains is actually those appliances that ‘leak’ electricity.

Remote Devices

Do you live your television or stereo on stand-by? They are waiting patiently for you to turn them on and start using them. By keeping them in standby mode you’re actually using electricity.

When the device is waiting to be told to turn on it needs to keep an electrical current in place. This allows t to be active and alert, waiting for the signal to restart.

Common devices which use the standby mode include:

  • Your television
  • DV player
  • Stereo
  • Games Console
  • Electronic garage door opener

You can reduce your electric usage by simply turning these off at the plug!

Constant On

The next group of appliances that leak energy are those that are constantly on. If they need to be on there is not much you can do about these.

Good examples of these include:

  • Wireless hub for internet
  • Wireless landline phone
  • Digital clock
  • Microwave; the clock is always on
  • Telephone answering machine
  • General appliances – Fridge, freezer, etc.

Unknown On’s

What you might be surprised about is the devices that are on that you don’t realize are still using electricity.

These include:

  • Cell phone charger; if plugged in but not being used.
  • Computer monitor
  • Plugged in laptop after it’s charged.
  • Printer or fax machine
  • Air conditioner unit
  • Coffee maker
  • Night light
  • Surge protectors
  • Furnace

There are others. What is most surprising about these is that they continue to draw electricity even if they are not performing their intended function.

For example, a laptop charger will still draw 50W of power after the battery on your laptop has been charged!

Suddenly you can see how quickly the cost of your electricity increases, despite you believing you are doing your best to keep costs to a minimum.

Stop The Leaking

The most effective way to stop the leaking is to simply unplug everything when you are not using it.

You can use an electricity monitoring device to see how much power each appliance is using; even when it is not being asked to do anything! The cost savings will be impressive.