I cut my energy bill by $20 a month with this simple power strip trick

Here's the problem with your gadgets. Even when they look like they're switched off, many of them are still sipping electricity. That quiet, always-on draw is called vampire or phantom power, and it adds up.

“Vampire energy takes up about 5-10% of the average US monthly home electricity bill,” with average bills “just under $150 per month,” says Scott Harden, SVP and CTO at Schneider Electric. This works out to roughly $90 to $180 per year in wasted power.

My own bill is closer to $200 a month, but I shaved off a hefty $20 by bundling my gear onto two switched power strips, then turning them fully off when not in use.

I run a “home office” strip and an “entertainment center” strip, both of which are scheduled to power down overnight and whenever I am out. Here's how it works.

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