Sorry ladies, this post is not about the latest thriller in the Twilight series. (Vampire romance, can someone please explain the draw?). Do read this anyway because the money you might be losing is scary.  The environmental damage is also scary. Since electricity is often generated by burning fossil fuels, stand-by power consumption contributes to the production of greenhouse gasses and other air pollutants. The U.S. EPA reports that the electricity consumed by vampire appliances is equivalent to the annual output of 12 electrical generating plants – just to keep machines running when we aren’t using them.

Did you know that the typical American home has 20 electrical appliances that continue to suck electricity even when they’re off?  “Off doesn’t mean off, but standby,” says Mark Pierce, a Cornell Cooperative Extension associate in Cornell’s College of Human Ecology.“  His studies estimate that vampire appliances cost consumers $3 billion a year, or about $200 per household.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Some may say that $200 isn’t that high a price for convenience. Then again, if there were a simple way to stop the bleeding, wouldn’t you rather use that money for anything else (savings, day camp for the kids, a movie and a sitter 4 times a year)?

To the rescue is The Energy Thieves, a free website from TXU Energy that offers fantastic user-friendly tools for calculating the cost of vampire appliances.  According to Michael Patterson, director of communications for TXU Energy, “There are so many things you can do that are cheap and easy for making positive changes in your life, which also saves you money.  We designed our website to make change fun.” 

Indeed, the spooky, Halloween-inspired branding makes this a game you can enjoy with your kids. The website allows you go to room by room tallying up the total watts per hour, cost per month, and cost per year of every type of appliance. 

TXU’s BrightenSM Online Energy Store also offers innovative green gadgetry to help you save energy, including such items as programmable thermostats and the popular

Kill A Watt™ Electricity Monitor.  The Kill A Watt™ enables you to find out which appliances are the biggest energy thieves in your household - great fun for sleuths of any age.

Buying ENERGY STAR-qualified products can cut your energy use drastically, saving you as much as 50% off the use of appliances compared with standards appliances. Learning this made things easier last week when our washing machine died during mid-cycle. We had these machines for 10 ½ years, so we definitely got adequate use out of them. The experience of getting to select a new front-loading washer/dryer set more than made up for the inconvenience of carting the family out to Conn’s on a Wednesday night. 

Since the appliances were delivered, I’ve caught myself making admiring glances into my laundry room to see the gleaming pair of machines. They are the jewels in the crown of our green home, and as it turns out, a source of entertainment.  My son Ryan sits on his little chair mesmerized, watching the clothes spin around. (Yes, I agree that we need to get out more.)

If you are considering such a purchase, try to do so before the federal tax credits available through December 2010 expire.

Fortunately, you don’t need to spend money to garner savings on your home energy use. By following some easy tips, you make a difference while teaching your kids important behaviors about personal responsibility.  In my book Green, American Style, I detail 85 ways to save the planet and money – up to $7,000 for a family of four.  Here are just a few that pertain to home energy savings:

  • Nudge your washer settings from “hot” to “warm.” This saves about 4,000 watt-hours for each load of laundry, making this one of the most effective things you can do to easily save energy.
  • Set your thermostat two degrees higher for air conditioning and two degrees lower for heating.  According to the EPA, the average home spends nearly $2,000 a year on energy bills – nearly half on heating and cooling.  By making this simple change, your household can save $100 per year without feeling the difference.
  • Keep the fireplace damper closed when the fire is not burning. An open damper can let 8 percent of the heat in your home escape.  In the summer, cool air escapes, so your air-conditioning must work harder.Closing the fireplace damper can add up to $100 a year in savings.

For 10 More Ways to Save Green, download the free PDF on my website.