I’ve blogged about phantom power before, the power that devices use even when they’re off. This phantom power can add up to a huge drain on the power grid and can cost you money on your power bill.

Other devices like the ecostrip will shut off power automatically, however there is an even simpler solution:simply unplug whatever devices you’re not using!

Of couse, this isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Some powerbars like to grab onto your plugs like their life depended on it. The “Easy Plugs” by Yoo-Kyung Shin is an easy and ingenious solution. Plug in your devices like normal, but simply push down on the side of the powe bar and the plug will pop right out.

Easy and quick to unplug your devices!

Of course this is just a concept, but I’d sure like to see this kind of system implemented as standard in powerbars. Could help promote unplugging!

via Yanko Design

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It sometimes amazes me just how easy it is to save a whole bunch of electricity. You don’t have to go completely off-grid to save money on electricity, in fact, many effective tips are as simple as turning something down, or unplugging something else.

Nigel’s Eco Store, one of our favorite online green retailers, has a great list of tips to reduce your energy consumption. I highly recommend reading it!

I figured I’d post some of my favorites here:

• Take shorter showers: a 5 minute shower will use only a third of the water of a bath, and having a 5 minute shower every day will save 400 litres of water a week. Nevermind giving you some extra time in the morning!
• Wash your clothes in colder water. If you can, use a laundry detergent designed for cold water. 90% of the energy used by a washing machine is used in heating the water. If you can’t find cold-water detergent, try turning down the heat a bit. A wash at 60C uses 30% more energy than a wash at 40C.
• This one amazed me: turning your thermostat down 1.5C can save up to 10% on heating bills.
• Get a Savaplug to reduce your refrigerator’s electricity usage by up to 20%.
• Use DryerBalls to save money on your dryer’s costs.

These are just a few of the great tips from the original article at Nigel’s Eco Store. Check it out!

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Laundry is often overlooked when taking energy usage into account, but it’s a huge waster of electricity. Laundry machines use lots of electricity to heat up water to wash your clothes, and the dryer uses a massive amount of electricity to heat up air to evaporate the water.

Turning down the heat for your Laundry machine, or using a cold-water detergent can help a lot in reducing usage, but what about the dryer?

The answer? DryerBalls. Nigel’s Eco Store sells these little wonders. DryerBalls are a form of fabric conditioner, but they also heat up. Providing another source of heat within your dryer, these DryerBalls can reduce the time it takes to dry your clothes by as much as 25%! That’s a 25% reduction in energy usage for your dryer, and a whole bunch of saved money.

DryerBalls are chemical free, and fully guaranteed for 2 years, even though they are expected to last for as many as 5 years.

Each pack contains 2 DryerBalls and sells for about $20 (£9.99) from Nigel’s Eco Store.

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This is the Savaplug, it’s a brilliant “set-it-and-forget-it” method to save electricity in your home.

Simply plug your fridge into the Savaplug, and it will regulate your refrigerator’s electricity use.

Here’s how it works: when your refrigerator turns it motor on, it uses it’s full power capacity, however once the motor is turned on and running, the fridge no longer needs full power. The Savaplug intelligently recognizes when the motor is up and running, and reduces the flow of electricity to the appliance.

The result? The Savaplug can reduce your fridge’s energy consumption by up to 20%. It works even better on older models.

It’s not compatible with every fridge, an incompatible fridge is often one with a digital display, motorized drink or ice dispenser, or electronic controls. If you have any of these on your fridge, however, you’re already wasting electricty and should think about getting a different fridge if you’re looking for savings.

The manufacturer has a 10 year guarantee on the Savaplug, and claims savings of up to $238 (£120.00) over the 10 year lifespan.

The Savaplug sells for about $50 (£24.99) from Nigel’s Eco Store.

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