That's my attempt at rapping.....I'm hoping my rhyme is catchy enough to get stuck in your head so you hear it every time you leave your apartment, home, or studio, and you unplug as many appliances as possible.

Seriously, The New York Times via PSFK reported some interesting facts about how much power your appliances suck up while they are in low power mode (or lopomo, yo). The article advocates that you should unplug as many appliances as possible when you're not using them or plug them into power strips and flip the switch when you leave.

This is really important for musicians because amps, computers, and recording equipment are big offenders. Here's the story from PSFK and the New York Times:

Electronics Sap Energy Even When Off

Gadgets The New York Times has a very poignant article highlighting the importance of not just shutting down your electronics, but actually unplugging them. Just about all of your favorite pieces of hardware continue sucking down copious amounts of energy even when you aren't using them - yes, even when they're on low-energy modes.

The NYT writes:

Indeed, the 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. Add that all up, and it equals the annual output of 17 power plants, the government says. In an effort to address that, a consortium of Intel, Google, PC makers and other technology companies this week announced their intent to increase the PC’s overall energy efficiency to 90 percent.

Products that idle in what the industry calls low-power mode, or lopomo, consumed about 10 percent of total electricity in California homes, according to a 2002 study prepared for the California Energy Commission by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. A few of those devices, even those with Energy Star ratings that signal that they are less wasteful, still use a lot of power. “Some of the larger big-screen TVs consume as much energy each year as a new refrigerator,” according to Noah Horowitz, a scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Labels: efficiency, musician resources