The good news: What used to be called energy vampires have been exposed to the light, staked through the heart, smothered in garlic — choose your favorite monster-slaying metaphor.
Most of the lights, electronics, and appliances in your home are already pretty efficient and use much less energy than their predecessors from 10 or 20 years ago. The pure waste — such as excess standby power, which devices draw while plugged in but not turned on — has largely been engineered and regulated out of new products.
The bad news: That means it’s tougher to find simple ways to trim your energy bill. If you already have LED lighting, and your appliances and electronics are less than one or two decades old (the typical lifespan for most of these items nowadays), your next upgrade won’t save much energy in comparison with the items you already own.
