The average American spends more than four hours per day watching television. Yet, the average television is on for more than seven hours per day-that means TVs everywhere are ... read full tip

The average American spends more than four hours per day watching television. Yet, the average television is on for more than seven hours per day-that means TVs everywhere are running with no one watching.

If this scenario sounds familiar, you could save between $20 and $60 per year on energy bills just by keeping the TV turned off during those three hours each day when it's on but no one's watching. Better yet, unplug the tube when you're not actively viewing. You'll save standby power as well.

Across the country, if every household turned their television off for an additional two hours per day, the total annual energy savings would exceed 17 billion kilowatt-hours-an energy savings that could allow for the shutdown of two nuclear power plants.

Note: If you happen to use the television to entertain your pets while you're away at work, consider using a radio instead. Since it's unlikely that they're watching the screen anyway, radios can provide just as much background noise for a fraction of the energy cost. Then you can spend the extra $70 in energy savings on organic pet treats or a pet bed stuffed with polyester made from recycled plastic bottles.

The Nielsen Company
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