get one of these: http://www.amazon.com/P3-International-P4460-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B000RGF29Q then you can measure things for yourself. while it is true that things can use "up to 85%" when turned off, most don't. If your power strip has a power switch, you won't save anything by unplugging it when the switch is turned off. You almost certainly will save nothing by unplugging a lamp that is turned off. Unplugging your power-failure emergency lights will save a small amount of energy, but will also defeat the purpose of the lights. A quick check is: if it feels warm after it's been turned off for a few hours, it's worth a look. Cable-TV set-top-boxes (STBs) tend to be power-hungry when off and will often fail this test. Unfortunately, many STBs will take a while to come back online if you unplug then, so its a tradeoff. ...tom On 9/22/2011 5:12 PM, Robin MacRostie wrote: > This may sound silly, but it's one of those little household details > that that create tension in a household. An article on the internet said: