Glenn Haege: The Handyman

Find ways to save money on electric bill

Electricity is all around us, but sometimes we don't pay attention to it until we open our electric bill. Then, we start to wonder, "What do I use that caused my bill to be so high?"

Around the home, a lot of the electricity we use is pretty easy to see. Every time we turn on a light, run the dishwasher or watch television, we inherently know that these are powered by electricity.

The most visible way to save money on electricity is to buy home appliances and electronics that carry the federal government's Energy Star label, because those products meet strict energy efficiency guidelines. You can go to www.energystar. gov to find a list of Energy Star appliances and home electronics to help you make a wise energy-efficient choice when you are buying a new product for the home.

The difference between an Energy Star product can be dramatic versus one that isn't. For example, an Energy Star television may only use 5 watts of power, versus 35 watts for a non-Energy Star television with the same specifications. If you have a video game system at home, there is also a big difference in electric usage for the various systems because of the different wattages used. For example, an Xbox 360 uses an average $17.50 per year in electric costs, while an older PlayStation 2 only uses $3.30 per year.

Many of the Energy Star-approved products may cost more to purchase, but over time, the amount of electricity you save will make up for the cost difference through your lower electric bill. And you will be exhibiting good energy conservation, which is more important than ever.

While appliances and home electronics contribute greatly to our electric bill, one of the biggest ways to see your electric bill rise is to leave on lights you don't need. If this seems to be a problem in your home, you should switch to compact fluorescent bulbs wherever possible. These bulbs spend 95 percent of their energy in light and not in heat, versus standard incandescent bulbs, which get very hot and, as a result, use more energy.

If you truly want to see your electric consumption, you can try a product like the Kill A Watt electricity usage monitor from P3 International (212-346-7979, www.p3international.com), or the Black & Decker Power Monitor (800-544-6986, www.blackanddecker.com). Both products offer you ways to track the amount of electricity you use in your home to help you lower your monthly bills.

There are even more items in our home that draw electric power 24/7 that we don't even realize. For example, if you notice a red or green light on any of your appliances or electronic equipment when they are not in use, that draws a low-level of electric power constantly. Even when you turn off your television or computer, it still draws power while it is not in use.

When it comes to better understanding how to see the electricity we use, I always like to talk with Larry Kaufmann, DTE Energy's energy expert. Kaufmann said that the best way to save energy around the home is to do something your mother probably told you to do a hundred times while growing up.

"The best way to save electricity costs is to turn off lights and other electric sources as soon as you are done using them," said Kaufmann. "However, even when people turn off lights and appliances when they aren't in use, it doesn't mean it turns off the electricity."

What Larry is referring to is something the folks at DTE call the "vampire" appliance. These are appliances that still draw electric power even after they are turned off. For example, there are many of today's appliances and home electronics, such as computers, televisions, telephone chargers, video game systems and DVD players that continue to use electricity in standby or sleep mode.

According to Kaufmann, consumers spend nearly $4 billion a year for electricity they use for appliances and electronics that are off or in the standby mode. That comes to an average of around $200 per family annually. In fact, a recent survey indicated that 5 percent of electricity usage in the United States is due to standby power. For example, most computers use around $200 per year in electric costs. Yet, the vampire cost of just leaving a computer set to the sleep mode will still contribute $41 per year to your electric bill.

Obviously, the best way to avoid these vampire electric costs is to shut off and unplug all these appliances and electronics when not in use. But most people don't want to go around the house and unplug cords to all their appliances. Instead, you can use a surge protector-power strip to plug in your home electronics and then just turn off the switch to the power strip when you are done using your television or computer.

You can also visit the DTE Web site, www.dteenergy.com, for more tips on how you can save on your electric bill.

So this weekend, take a tour of the rooms in your home to see the electricity you are using, and make a few adjustments in your use of lights, appliances and home electronics to help you save on your electric bill next month.

If you have a question, call the Handyman Show with Glenn Haege at (866) ASK GLENN from noon-2 p.m. Saturday or Sunday. The show can be heard on WJR-AM (760) and more than 160 radio stations nationwide. To suggest a question for Haege's Wednesday "Ask Glenn" column, e-mail askglenn@masterhandyman.com.