Saving Energy With Electronics

According to the buzz, electronics are part of an energy-savings solution. Electronics increase control over home heating, cooling and lighting systems and make it possible to telework and to access information and entertainment from home-saving you money and gas and protecting the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
What does the industry recommend you do to help save energy for America and maybe some money for yourself? Here are some hints:
• Look for the Energy Star label. It can help you identify products that use less energy. Check out www.energystar.gov for a searchable database of Energy Star products.
• Go digital with your thermostat. Home heating and cooling systems use a significant amount of energy. Most digital thermostats quickly pay for themselves in energy savings. Programmable thermostats save energy while you're away or asleep by adjusting temperature settings.
• Unplug mobile phone or PDA chargers when batteries are fully charged or when the chargers are not in use.
• Be power-wise with your PC. Most personal computers have power management features that control energy use.
• Check owners' manuals to make sure you're taking full advantage of any energy-conservation capabilities of your electronics.
• Plug electronics, such as TVs, DVD players and audio systems, into power strips, and turn the power strips off when the equipment is not in use, especially for long periods of time. Just be sure to read the manual first to make sure you won't affect the product (for example, TVs that need to remain plugged in so that they can download program guides).
• Investigate home networking and automation products and services that let you control heating, lighting and cooling from a central location in the home.
• When in the market for home office products, consider a multifunction device, which combines printing, copying, scanning and faxing.
• Save fuel by shopping and banking from home on your computer.
• Ask your employer about working from home or a satellite business location to cut your commute.