The Real Cost of Always-On

How many times have you yelled at the kids to shut the lights and turn off the music when they leave the room? Mine accuse me of sounding like a broken record. They, of course, counter with their uncorroborated science that says turning electricity off and on takes more power than leaving it on.

Family disputes about energy are becoming increasingly common as our consciousness is raised about these issues. How much will switching from incandescent to compact fluorescent lighting save you? Should the PC be shut off or left on when not in use? What about replacing your old appliances with new, more efficient versions?

The best way to resolve energy-saving disputes is with an impartial referee. A number of inexpensive gadgets are available to help you see what you're spending or saving.

In our home we use a $35 unit called a Power Cost Controller from La Crosse Technology. You can find it at Amazon. The device calculates the cost of running our appliances by the day, week, month, and year. It also displays volts, amps, watts, and Hz. A similar device, the Kill-A-Watt, is available for under $30.

Both of these controllers look like oversized outlet plugs. You plug the device into the wall outlet and then plug your device into it. The LED screen and interfaces are a bit primitive, but all you do is enter the amount you pay per kilowatt-hour (just look it up on your bill). From there, the unit calculates how much your appliance is costing and how much power it consumes.

Because the cost of electricity to your home varies throughout the day depending on peak loads, a new controller, Home Joule, will monitor your power line and notify you when there's a peak usage advisory. Do your laundry in off-peak hours and you'll save some money on your electric bill.

Using the monitor at home, we found that "always on" really does cost us. Our desktop computer (it's fully loaded with scanner, printer, and big monitor) costs about $150 a year. So does our big DLP screen. Others report similar findings: Servers that cost $200 a year to operate and a home theater PC at $81 a year. Another calculated that at $2 per watt per year, not turning off your PC or other appliances that are not being used can get really expensive.

The verdict on the turn the lights off versus leave them on debate? Experts agree that the cheapest way to save money is to shut the light. (Saving electricity by keeping the light on is one of those oft-repeated myths.) Second, replace cheap incandescent bulbs with long lasting, more efficient fluorescent light bulbs. Compact fluorescent bulbs are more expensive initially, but they last 10 times longer and use 75 percent less electricity. Use the lowest acceptable wattages for each light and consider installing timers or motion detectors to shut the lights for you if you're prone to forget.

As for PCs, if they're not being used, turn them off and you'll save money. Short of that, set the power management options so that, at minimum, the disk is not spinning and the monitor is asleep.