Electronic devices such as your PC, DVD or TV do not use much energy by themselves. However, if we use them steadily over long periods of time, this small amounts begin to add up. The effect? Your energy bill rises another $50 a month - even though you can safely cut this amount by half if only you follow those simple tips.

1)Turn your PC on only if you need to work on it. Switch it off once you're done. The common misconception is that a PC uses so much energy while starting up that it is cheaper to keep it on all the time. This used to be true in times before the first Apple was created. Now PCs use only a bit more power during the startup. While turning your PC on and off every fifteen minutes will certainly add to your energy bill, an hour or two is long enough to switch your PC off and let it rest a bit.

2)Battery and cell phone chargers should be plugged off as soon as you finish charging them. The change will not be large for your family budget, but keeping the chargers plugged is practically begging your electricity provider to charge you this $5 a month more for no reason. If you feel like having $5 dollars too much, you can give them to some charity, not a local power plant!

3)Use hard power downs whenever possible. Nowadays most electronics keep drawing energy even when they seem to be turned off. While it is, of course, much less than they need when they're on, standbys can become quite costly, too. Unplug those devices you're not going to use. Do not worry about the startup energy cost - it is pretty much the same as with computers.

4)Keep in mind that seemingly similar devices may need various amounts of energy. Generally, look for the Energy Star mark - it means that the device is considered energy-efficient and uses up to a third of energy needed to power the gadgets without the Energy Star.