Today's Tip from Planet Green: Save Energy by Avoiding Phantom Power

Many gadgets, electronic devices and appliances draw power even when they're switched off or not in use, just by being plugged in. It might seem not worth worrying about, but it can add up to about 10 percent of you home's energy use, or about one month of your electricity use each year.

1. Test out your appliances with a Kill-A-Watt: Hook this handy energy meter, pictured above, up to high-draw appliances like your television, computer and stereo (and the rest of your electronics-cell-phone charger, gaming systems, etc.) and it'll tell you which appliances are sucking down the most power when they're off. Once you've tested everything, you know which electronics need to be attended to when they aren't in use.

2. Invest in a "smart" power strip: Plugging a handful of phantom power-drawing appliances (think your TV, stereo, DVD player and gaming system) into a Wattstopper or Smart Strip Power Strip are intelligent enough to cut the phantom power to your electronics when they're not in use. More at Planet Green