Turn it off!
Did you know that mobile device chargers, laptop docking
stations and some desktop printers use energy regardless of whether they are
charging or not? This is because the voltage transformers on the plug still consume
energy.
You can help reduce electrical leakage[1]
at work, simply by taking responsibility for turning
off the electronics in your personal workspace, especially
overnight, at the weekend and on University closure days.
And this is one occasion on which you most definitely should
take your work home with you! A range of gadgets are now available to help
eliminate small-scale electrical leakage (and therefore save you money on
your energy bill) in the home. Numerous devices can be purchased for a
reasonable price such as the Intelliplug:
Alternatively you could look into seven-day timer plugs.
Timer plugs can be programmed to switch the power supply to appliances on and
off at set times. Seven-day digital timer plugs, such as the Timeguard
ETU17, are particularly useful for switching off appliances that are not
needed overnight and at weekends. The plugs even have battery back-up for power
cuts. If you set the plugs to come on at least an hour before required, and to
go off at least an hour later than required then you don’t even have to reset
them when the clocks go forward or backwards. It couldn’t be easier!
Why not let us know what energy saving products you swear by
so we can feature them on this blog and share the planet saving product love?
[1] The
electric power consumed by electronic appliances while they are switched off or
in a standby mode. Often caused by power adapters on computers or mobile phone
chargers.