Taiga Company

As a country we pay $1 billion a year to power our TV's and VCR's while they're turned off.  Our eco friendly training educates those pursuing a sustainable lifestyle that just because an electrical appliance is turned off does not mean it has stopped drawing power.  In fact,
The U.S. Department of Energy tells us that not only do appliances continue to draw electricity while the products are turned off, but in the average home nearly 75% of all electricity used to power electronics is consumed by products that are switched off.
 
Energy vampires, more commonly known as TV’s, VCR's, and chargers for devices that run on batteries, are the culprits. 
 
Some tricks I have used as a green living consultant to slay the energy suckers is to first identify which devices are consuming the most energy.  Two good sources are:
Kill a Watt  or Watts Up.  Once you know which devices draw the most standby power, you can prioritize the list of equipment that you want to tackle.
 
Other eco actions you can take include:

• Reduce unnecessary electrical consumption: unplug seldom used devices.
• Utilize power strips for commonly used devices.  Choices include Watt stopper and Bits limited.
• Unplug chargers (think cell phones and iPods) when not in use. Only 5% of the power drawn by a cell phone charger is used to charge the phone. The other 95% is wasted when it is left plugged into the wall.
• Remember to buy energy star equipment. 

 
Small efforts such as these executed in a personal sustainability program consistently over time, can contribute to improved energy efficiency and cost savings for your home.