The myth of 'sleep mode'
Many electronic devices try to straddle the fence between saving electrify and staying convenient with "sleep" or "standby" mode -- a feature that essentially keeps the device dormant when you're not using it. This is the state your computer defaults to when you haven't shut it down, but also haven't used for awhile, and it's the reason there's a little LED light on so many of your gadgets -- even when they're turned "off."
This means your electronics jump to life more quickly when you want to use them, which is handy, but it's also a huge energy drain. Each device, in itself, only wastes a marginal amount of energy when it's not fully in use. However, when you multiply that wasted energy by the millions of gadgets on standby at any given time, the numbers start to get alarming.
To put this in context, by 2010, the Department of Energy expects that 20% of every American's electricity bill will go towards paying for this wasted energy.
So how can you stop it? Essentially, you can pull the plug. When you're done using the TV, coffee pot, or whatever else, either disconnect them from the socket, or turn off the power strip the device is plugged into. When it comes to your computer, just remember to turn it off at the end of the night -- or, as Brad suggested earlier this week, allow it to shut off automatically when not in use.
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