The solution to the power-vampire problem is power conditioner strips with switches on them so you turn everything fully "OFF" when not in use.

And just turn off the computer and monitor if you're going to be away for more than a halfhour or so.

BUT

Some programmed devices, like certain models of TVs and VCRs, will "forget" all their settings if disconnected from power for more than a certain amount of time, which may range from a few minutes to a few hours. So the power strip solution isn't universal.

Wattmeters can be a useful tool *if* they reading watts and not volt-amperes. Some loads have low power factors and do not use as many watts as their volts-times-amps would indicate.

Someone mentioned big buildings leaving the lights on and other energy-wasters. What's forgotten is that there are few if any incandescents in commercial lighting. More important, someone else's wastefulness doesn't justify mine - or yours.

The Real Problem is that too few Americans *really* understand electrical energy, its costs, sources, calculations, etc. Also, information about things like which CFLs are the best, which appliances can be unplugged without getting amnesia, etc., is in short supply. It's almost as if somebody doesn't want you to know...

I pay about fourteen cents per kilowatt hour, some of which comes from wind through a sign-up program here in SE Pennsylvania. How much do *you* pay?

"I have an on-demand hot water heater that probably saves me more money in a week than unplugging the few appliances I own would in a year."

You don't really know unless you measure the actual energy usage and savings.

"Why heat a huge tank of water non-stop when you only use hot water once in awhile?"

A conventional hot-water heater does not "heat a huge tank of water non-stop". The tank is insulated, and once the water is heated, the burner shuts off.

The only efficiency difference between the on-demand hot-water heater and the conventional type is this: The hot water in a conventional heater will eventually cool off because the insulation on the tank isn't perfect.

On-demand heaters are great if your hot-water needs can be scheduled to take advantage of how they work. But on-demand heaters have two big downsides:

1) If you try to use more than a certain number of gallons-per-minute of hot water, you get lukewarm water instead of hot.

2) The hot water never runs out. Which means your teenagers can take endless showers and there goes your savings.

On-demand heaters can save energy if used correctly. But not as much as you might think, compared to a modern tank-type heater.

"As some people have suggested, washing your clothes in cold water, which I've been doing for years, also helps."

Clothes last longer, too.

"I also dry most of my clothes on a clothesline when it's sunny out. These are BIG, easy changes that really make a difference in how much electricity you consume."

Yep. Running only full loads helps.

"I don't care about the display on my microwave showing the time all night."

The display uses almost no energy. It's the rest of the unit that's an issue.

Energy equals power multiplied by time. A device that uses just 5 watts 24/7 will use more energy (and money) than a 100 watt device that is used for an hour a day.

"I was under the impression that the "base load" of electricity generated in most areas was so large that there was essentially "excess" power on the grid at night."

There us excess *capacity*, but not excess energy.

"If this is the case, does it really matter if you unplug things at night?"

Yes.

"It's not like they are going to shut off the nuclear/coal plant."

The electricity you use comes from a mixture of sources, all feeding the grid. The utilities try to use the least- expensive-to-run generation plants the most, to save money.

Using less electricity means the utilities make less electricity. Which saves fuel at the coal pile or gas pipe, regardless of what time of day or year it is.