These Home Appliances Suck Up a Surprising Amount of Electricity!

When we think of energy consuming appliances, big ticket items such as refrigerators, air conditioners and washing machines tend to top the list. However, some of the most costly appliances in your home are actually the smallest. Small devices like cell phone chargers and computer printers use lots of energy, and as these gadgets become more common in our homes the amount of energy they use grows exponentially.

What is the main reason so many of these small appliances use so much power? It is because they are almost always plugged into electrical outlets, even when they are not in use. They draw energy constantly, even when they are turned off or the devices they power have been disconnected.

Check out our list of the most energy inefficient small appliances. How many do you have in your home?


Plasma TVs:
You know you want one. Plasma televisions are on most of our home entertainment wish lists, but these hot items are quite literally hot. They use a lot of energy and throw off a significant amount of heat, too. The average 42-inch plasma screen uses as much as 325 watts of electricity; that old-fashioned CRT TV you have lying around uses just 120 watts. LCD TVs are a good compromise, using about 200 watts of electricity.

Digital Photo Frames:
Once a novelty item, digital picture frames are quickly becoming more commonplace as they become more affordable. However, according to a recent estimate from the Electric Power Research Institute, if every home in the US had one of these frames operating 24 hours a day it would take five entire power plants to keep them all running.

Video Game Consoles:
Video games have come a long way since Pac Man and Pong. Today’s games require high level digital processors to control all of those stunning graphics, and those processors require tons of energy. Compounding the problem is that energy-efficiency standards have yet to catch up to video game consoles like Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox 360. The Natural Resources Defense Council estimates that game consoles consume around 16 billion kilowatt hours of electricity each year. This is roughly the same amount of yearly energy usage as the entire city of San Diego.

Set-Top Boxes:
Cable and digital converter boxes for your television may seem like pretty innocuous devices. While they only draw about 30 watts of energy, these boxes are always on—even when the TV is turned off. A single box can use as much as 265 kilowatt hours of electricity in a year. This is equal to the annual energy consumption of a 28-inch tube television.

Battery Chargers:
It seems that everything that rings, beeps or clicks now comes with its very own battery charger. Although these small devices do not use much energy—only about 10 watts—most of us simply plug them into the wall and leave them there, connecting them to the phone, camera or portable DVD player only when we need a charge. Even when there is nothing attached to them, battery chargers continuously draw power if they are plugged in. Consider the fact that most American homes have at least half a dozen chargers, and our total energy consumption adds up to the output of several large power plants.



Related Energy Efficiency Information from Horizon Services...

• Horizon Heating Services
• Horizon Air Conditioning Services
• 101 Ways to Save Energy and Money in Your Home
• Air Conditioning Alternatives
• Cutting Edge Solutions For Energy Efficiency
• Do The Math…High Efficiency Air Conditioners Drastically Reduce Energy Costs!
• Home Energy Myths Debunked!
• Frugal Fridge Maintenance Can Save You Energy...and Cold Hard Cash!
• A Precision Tune-Up is Your Air Conditioner's Best Friend!
• 14 Web Sites That Can Save You Energy, Money and Time

Protect Yourself and Your Home from Contractor Rip-offs, Scams and Shoddy Work!

As winter comes to a welcome end and we enter the spring season, homeowners inevitably will be besieged by offers, promotions and come-ons from all kinds of home improvement contractors and installers – plumbing, air conditioning, doors, windows, remodelers, landscapers -- you name it. Most will be legit...but some won't be.

Unfortunately, fraudulent contractors are extremely common in the home improvement industry…and they really seem to come out of the woodwork around this time of year. Because this area is so specialized and intimidating to many homeowners, it is easy to get taken advantage of by a disreputable “professional.”

Whether you are looking for a home improvement contractor to perform routine repairs, install equipment or perform major reconstruction and remodeling, here are a few simple tips to ensure that your home improvement contractor or installer is on the up and up.


Get It In Writing
Make sure to thoroughly read and understand the written contract for your home improvement project before you sign. Discuss your questions and get clarification. If you are not given an estimate and a contract in writing, or if your contractor is unwilling to explain things to you clearly, hire someone else. If you don’t understand a contract, don’t sign it; you could obligate yourself to repairs that you are not prepared to pay for. And don’t give any oral commitments to any work; as Yogi Berra once said, “An oral contract ain’t worth the paper it’s written on!”


Cheaper is Not Always Better
When it comes to home improvements, you almost always get what you pay for. Be wary of contractors that promise things that sound too good to be true. If your instincts tell you something strange is is up, you are probably right. Cheap contractors usually use cheap materials, sell cheap equipment and employ cheap, inexperienced, low-quality labor. And that can cost you a lot more in the long run -- both in operation costs and in future repairs.

Fraudulent contractors often try to scare homeowners with news of urgent or emergency repairs…or fantastic deals that you must act upon immediately. Do not let anyone pressure you into costly repairs on the spot; seek a second or third opinion to be sure. Always shop around and get multiple estimates. Focus on getting the best value; not the best price.


Check Credentials
Is your contractor properly licensed? Can he get all the permits to legally perform your home improvement or repair? Does he have a favorable rating from the Better Business Bureau? Does he belong to professional and industry trade organizations? Does he follow the industry’s best practices? Reputable contractors can answer yes to all these questions.


Get a Referral
Word of mouth is crucial in hiring a good contractor, but you have to be sure your referral is coming from a reputable source. Never base your decision on the word of a solicitor or stranger. Instead, ask friends, family members and neighbors, or consult a referral service that provides the names and contact information for qualified, pre-screened professionals in your area. Do not just go for the cheapest price estimate—take the time to get a solid referral; you could save thousands, especially if that amazing deal offered by the door-to-door salesman turns out to be a fraud. The best home improvement contractors have been in the business for some years and have a track record of customer satisfaction.


Read Home Improvement Contractor Reviews
There are plenty of websites that offer unbiased customer reviews of local businesses and contractors – among them Yelp, Insider Pages, Angie’s List, Local.com – as well as business directory sites (Yellowpages.com etc.) and search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. Take the time to go to these sites and check out reviews. Click Here to View a List of Customer Review Sites!


Beware of “Travelers”
“Travelers” are door-to-door solicitors that come knocking in hopes of gaining your trust and your business; this is one of the most common contractor frauds. These scam artists will talk fast, promising steep discounts on everything from roofing to bathroom remodeling. They will often cite their exclusive access to overstock building supplies as the reason for their great deals. The best way to protect yourself is to politely decline the sales pitch from the start, but you can also check the yellow pages for the name and number of the contractor at your door. If you cannot find a listing, tell him to hit the bricks.


Never Pay Up Front
No reputable contractor or installer will ever ask for payment until after the work is completed to your satisfaction, and will never require cash payment. If your contractor asks for payment up front or insists on doing a cash-only business, find a new contractor.


Do Not Get Your Own Building Permits
Another common tactic employed by fraudulent contractors is to request that you secure any necessary building permits yourself. A good contractor will do this for you — that is why you are paying him to do the work.


If You Are a Victim of a Fraudulent Contractor...
If you think you have been a victim of a fraudulent contractor, take immediate action to fix the situation. Consult a lawyer to find out if you have any legal recourse and report the incident to your local Chamber of Commerce and the Better Business Bureau. You may also need to involve local law enforcement if you believe a crime such as larceny or identity theft has been committed.


Check Out Our Contractor Checklist!
Horizon Services offers a 21-Point Contractor Checklist covering all the primary questions you need to ask BEFORE you select any home improvement contractor. It’s MUST-READING for all homeowners thinking of making any home improvement. Click Here!



Related Contractor Information from Horizon Services…

• Horizon HVAC Installation and Replacement
• Horizon Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning Services
• The Horizon Difference
• How To Choose The Right Contractor
• Watch Out for Bogus Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning Contractors This Spring and Summer!
• 5 BIG Mistakes Homeowners Make When Replacing Their Heating and A/C Systems...