Here is a green living tip that is absolutely, 100% certain to save you money.

Did you know that about 70% of the total energy usage of your TV or other electronic devices occurs while they are switched off? This silent energy consumer is the so-called "vampire energy" that provides the instant-on gratification when you turn the device on, but continually drains energy, even when the devices are turned off, by keeping them in a perpetually "warmed-up" state.

What can you do to stop this energy and cost drain?

Buy switchable power strips for all your electronics. You can use the power strips to cut the power completely to your electronics, TVs, and DVD players each night and whenever you will be away from home for an extended period of time. You will save about $30-50 per power strip over a year, recouping the cost in about 6 months. After that, you are reaping a pure benefit: free cash flow.

These simple power strips will save energy, and they are a financial winner for you as well. There is only one drawback to using them. Sometimes it is difficult to remember to switch off the power strips whenever you are ready to power down the devices plugged into them.

Fortunately, there is another option that can solve this problem for you. The alternative is the so-called smart power strip. These handy devices have built-in auto-switching technology on some of the sockets. Auto-switching sockets will sense when your computer or other device goes into a sleep mode and will cut the power to those devices completely at that time. The benefit, of course, is that you do not have to remember to turn off the power manually. Conveniently, these outlets are color-coded with three options that give you complete control over whether to cut power or not. The blue outlet is the control outlet that senses whether to shut down power as necessary. White outlets follow the control blue outlet as it turns power on or off. Red outlets are always on unless the power strip itself is unplugged. The latter outlet is useful for those devices (clocks, for example) that should be on all the time.

Here is how they work from a practical perspective. When your computer plugged in the blue outlet turns idle, the electricity to the computer is cut completely, and the various electronics (for example, printers) in the white outlets will also stop drawing any additional current. This type of power strip comes really handy in your home office.

And a smart power strip only costs a little more.

Either way, switchable power strips or smart strips have the added advantage as serving as surge protectors to protect your electronic devices. And both types will pay for themselves many times over during their useful lifetimes. You will save both energy and money--guaranteed.

Want more ideas about how to live a greener lifestyle and save money? Go to Steve Stillwater's web site at http://www.livinggreenandsavingenergy.com. Steve offers to easy-to-implement green living tips and ideas that allow you to live green and save money. Better yet, sign up for his free newsletter which gives you regular updates on green news and information you can use, and get 2 Free Bonuses just for signing up: 1) 10 Easy Ways to Save Gas and 2) 2010's Top 20 Fuel Efficient Cars. Take an easy step toward a greener lifestyle at http://www.livinggreenandsavingenergy.com.