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Mum was right

When you were growing up, your Mum probably told you to switch off the lights when they weren't being used. She had a great point.

The modern incandescent lightbulb hasn’t changed much since Thomas Edison developed a model in 1879. And they’re incredibly inefficient. Only 8% of the energy consumed by an incandescent bulb is used to provide light—the rest produces heat. This may be good news if you cook with an Easy-Bake oven, but otherwise it’s a waste of energy.

New compact fluorescent bulbs provide the same light as their higher wattage incandescent siblings yet use a fraction of the energy. Although slightly more expensive, they last much longer--from five to nine years of heavy use.

If your computer monitor doesn’t power down automatically after a specific period of inactivity, you can set it to do so. This saves more energy than using screensavers, which keep your computer running at full speed. For instructions on putting your desktop computer to sleep, visit: eHow.com

Another easy change to make is to add a powerbar to your devices. Today’s electronics such as TVs, VCRs, and cell phone chargers still draw power—even when turned off. Attach a power bar to your gadgets and turn it off when not in use.

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