Mar 14th, 2014 9:32am
1. KEEP VAMPIRE ELECTRONICS UNDER CONTROLYou probably already know about easy winter fixes like sealing gaps around doors and windows to prevent precious heat from escaping. But did you know your home is filled with dozens of other energy-draining culprits? I call these foes vampire electronics.TVs, computers and other gadgets are guilty of sucking lots of energy day and night, even when you're not using them. The EPA estimates that these idle gadgets burn through more than 100 billion kilowatt hours of electricity nationwide each year. That's about $10 billion worth of energy.The easiest way to stop vampire electronics from driving up your electric bill is to unplug them when they're not in use. Of course, sometimes it's hard to give up the convenience of having your gadgets plugged in and ready to go at a moment's notice.If that's the case, many companies sell affordable power switches that you can plug into wall outlets. The power switches let you control the power to any outlet wit…