Big screen televisions, home theater set-ups, DVD players, digital video recorders, video game systems, stereo systems, battery chargers, cordless phones… Every year we seem to add more electronic “toys” to our homes.

It’s important to be aware of the impact home electronics can have on your energy bills and what you can do to save.

Operation tips
Turn off equipment.
Don’t leave electronics on when you’re not using them.

Unplug to really save energy.
Even in the “off” mode, electronics still draw power. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that, in the average home, 40 percent of all electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. Your television is really in a “standby” or “quick start” mode, ready to respond instantly to the remote. Other electronics use power to keep the LED lights glowing. Some equipment may need to be reprogrammed if you unplug it, so weigh the energy savings against convenience in those cases.

Turn off at the strip.
Ideally, you should have your electronics plugged into a surge protector strip (which offers protection from surge damage, unlike a standard plug strip). If so, you can eliminate “phantom loads” by unplugging the surge protector after you turn off your equipment. But be aware that for certain electronics, such as digital video recorders, this may require reprogramming, so you may not want to do this unless you’re going to be away for a couple of weeks.

Unplug battery chargers as soon as charging is complete.
Battery chargers left plugged in after your cell phone or other device is fully charged are sometimes called “energy vampires” because they are silently sucking energy and raising your bill.

Lower the brightness setting on your television.
If you buy a new television, when you first take it out of the box, it’s probably on the maximum brightness setting. This wastes energy and fails to deliver the best picture.

Shop for energy savings.
Big screens can bring bigger bills.
New, big-screen televisions use more power than the smaller, traditional cathode ray tube televisions they are replacing. In fact, some of the larger big-screen plasma televisions can consume as much energy each year as a new refrigerator.

Check the EnergyGuide labels on TVs.
Televisions manufactured after May 10, 2011 will have EnergyGuide labels — the same yellow labels found on refrigerators, dishwashers and other appliances. Designed to help you make an energy-efficient choice, the TV EnergyGuide label will show two important pieces of information:

• An estimate of the electricity cost to operate the TV for one year.
• A comparison showing how much energy a particular model uses versus other TVs of the same size.

Opt for LED, LCD or rear-projection over plasma.
LED, LCD and rear-projection (often referred to as DLP in the stores) televisions are generally more energy-efficient than plasma models. But manufacturers are working to increase energy efficiency, so compare energy use information for different models before making a purchase. Check the power consumption comparisons for 128 HD televisions at the CNET website.

Look for ENERGY STAR® and Energy Forward.
To make sure you are buying energy-efficient products, choose ENERGY STAR certified home electronics. But for even more savings, look for televisions, computers and monitors labeled with the orange Energy Forward button. Energy Forward models are engineered to be the most efficient of ENERGY STAR electronics. Find participating retailers and lists of qualifying brands and models on the Energy Forward website.