We are 11-years-old and 9-years-old. Our parents are the energy police. They make us unplug the TV after we watch it. They say it wastes energy plugged in. Are they wrong? Lamps don’t do that so why would the TV? They will believe you. Thank you.

You’re right about lights not using power when they’re switched off. Your parents, though, are right about the television. You see, many TVs and other kinds of electronics don’t really turn off when you press “off”. They go into standby mode, and they continue to use electricity. Lots of people don’t know that they could be paying $100 or more, over the course of a year, to keep all their electronics in standby mode.

Unplugging the TV solves the problem, but many people find that it’s easier to plug the TV into a power strip, which they switch on and off. If your parents are interested in looking into that, they can find one at the hardware store. In fact, there is an advanced power strip that senses when the TV is turned off and then shuts off power to the TV and to other machines at the same time. For example, your parents could set up an advanced power strip to cut power to the TV, game consoles, and recording devices when the TV is turned off.

It sounds like you two are important members of the team that can save money for your family. Thanks for writing in!

- Kathleen for Ask The Home Team