One thing they don't tell you at your favorite electronics store is that although everyone loves their huge Plasma-screen televisions, they use nearly twice as much energy as their LCD counterparts and more than 3 times as much as normal tube televisions. Televisions account for around 4% of the energy our country uses today and flat screen Plasma televisions are only making it worse. Solution? Don't worry, you don't need to revert to a 27" tube television from 1985... just consider an LCD over Plasma next time you're in the market for a flat screen. Even better, use a Smart Power Strip for your TV, DVD, and Cable box and turn them completely off when you're not watching them or out of town. (See Below)

SMART POWER STRIPS

Phantom Load, otherwise known as idle current or standby power, is what occurs when your electronics are turned off but are still using energy. Amazingly enough, this accounts for around 10% of your monthly energy bill, while emitting more than 27 million tons of CO2 into the environment. A great way to reduce Phantom Load is to use Smart Power Strips for your electronics. They allow you to plus all neighboring electronics in one strip that you can turn off when you're not using them. Smart Power Strips are also great for when you're away at work or on vacation. They are inexpensive and available at any hardware store or supermarket. Be especially conscious about oversized AC plugs (cube-shaped transformers), as these draw almost half of the energy turned off as they do while on. They have been coined as "vampires" in the energy world and every Flat panel TV on earth uses one.

THE FACTS

Plasma-screen televisions use nearly twice as much energy as their LCD counterparts and more than 3 times as much as normal tube televisions.