Sustainable Ideas...

Whether you're at home or in the office, your electric bills these days probably hurt. Not only are they higher than ever, but the impact of all of that electricity generation is spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere every day.

What can you do to help cut your electric usage? A good first step is to monitor how much energy you are actually using.

One way to do that is with a Watts Up? meter from Electronic Educational Devices. Plug any device into one of these meters and it will tell you energy it is using. The higher-end Watts Up? meters come with USB connections and software so you can upload the data into your computer and keep track of usage over time.

EED says their monitors are particularly effective in identifying the "vampires" in your home or office -- the devices that continue to suck in electricity even when they are "off." According to the company, "A typical system consisting of a set top box, VCR, TV, stereo, and ampliier can consume 50-75 watts or more, even when not in use. This can add up to $25-50 years per year."

The basic Watts Up? monitor costs less than $100 -- a pretty low-cost nvestment for helping to lower your total electric bill.