Myth: Turning a light back on after it has been off actually uses more electricity than just leaving it on.

Truth: There is no measurable ?surge? of electricity used when you turn your lights on.  The same amount of electricity being used when you flip the switch is used every second that the lights remain on. It is ALWAYS cheaper to leave your lights off when they?re not being used.

Myth: More energy is wasted in booting up a computer than it would have been allowing the computer to remain powered up.
Truth: Similar to the lights, the amount of electricity being consumed by your electronics, including a computer, is significantly higher when running for a period of time than the split-second it takes to power it up.

Myth: Cooling down a hot, stuffy house with the A/C is more costly than leaving the A/C at a cool temp throughout the day.
Truth: Running your air conditioning all day to keep the house cool will actually consume far more energy than it would take to cool down the house after being off all day, even if your home is sweltering on a hot day. This also holds true for heating a cold house during the winter.

Myth: A device designed for 240V will use more electricity than the same device designed for 120V.
Truth: Because electricity is used in watts, your power is actually converted to the proper amount of wattage in output, regardless of the voltage of your device. Therefore, no additional electricity is used regardless of the voltage on the device.

Myth: When my appliance or electronic device is turned ?off?, then it?s off.
Truth: While it used to be this simple not even more than a decade ago, this myth is becoming increasingly untrue.  Many appliances still draw power just by being plugged in. In fact, some may use just as much electricity in their so-called ?off? state as they do when they are turned on and in use.  Additionally, many electronics now remain in a perpetual ?standby? state or ?sleep? mode or simply hum quietly when not in use, while still consuming electricity.  If you don?t want that extra electricity being wasted, unplug these power-drainers.

Myth: The more I turn the thermostat up or down, the faster my home will warm up or cool down.

Truth: Your thermostat is not a throttle. The speed and efficiency of your central heating and air conditioning will not increase based on how high (or low) you crank it.  It?s a simple switch, and once the unit is turned on, it does its job to heat or cool at the same pace regardless of the target temperature.

Myth: Using space heaters rather than central heat will reduce my energy bills.
Truth: This may not always be the case.  While it is true that you could save energy by using space heaters to heat your home  if your central heat is electric, you can quickly outrun those electricity costs with space heaters if your main heating source is gas.

Myth: Taking a shower is more energy-efficient and less wasteful than taking a bath.
Truth: Depending on the type of showerhead you use, you could actually be wasting more water in the shower.  Older, less efficient showerheads will expend 5 gallons per minute. Take a 7 minute shower, and you?ve blown through the same amount used in the average bath. However, stick with the shower if your showerhead is equipped with ?low-flow?, as these could slash the water use in half. Either way, it?s debatable, because remember that most of us keep the water steaming hot the entire time we shower, while we only use just enough hot water in our bath to get it comfortably warm.

Myth: It?s more energy efficient to boil water if you start with hot water from the tap
Truth: It doesn?t really matter. Your stovetop is expending the same electricity to heat the cold water to the ?starting? temperature as your water heater used to produce the ?pre-heated? water from the tap.

Myth: Washing dishes by hand is more efficient than running full cycles on the dishwasher
Truth: If you?ve only got a few dishes to wash, you will most likely save electricity by cleaning them in the sink. However, if you?re looking at a full load of dishes, you?re almost always better off simply dumping them in the dishwasher (easier on you too!) You?ll waste far less water, heat and energy.

Myth: Ceiling fans are a cheaper way to keep rooms cool throughout the day rather than AC
Truth: Fans don?t actually cool the room. They merely circulate the air in a room, benefitting the occupants of that room by making them feel cooler. If there is no one in the room to be cooled down by the fan, then it is simply wasting electricity and blowing the air about the room.  Keep them off when not in use, they won?t make a bit of difference in temperature.

Myth: One slow-dripping faucet isn?t really that big of a deal
Truth: In actuality, one slow-dripping faucet can rack up about 300 gallons of wasted water a month. In another perspective, that?s about 10-12 baths, up to 15 showers, 30 loads of dishes, 7 loads of laundry, 100 toilet flushes and up to 100 mornings at the sink where you wash your hands, shave and brush your teeth. Keep those spigots dry or you?re surely wasting a gross amount of water and money.

Myth: There?s no real difference in efficiency between Hot and Cold settings for my washing machine
Truth: Actually there?s a big difference. The typical cost of running your washer for a full load of laundry on the ?Hot / Warm? setting is about 69 cents. Compare this with the cost of only 14 cents on the ?Cold / Cold? setting and you?re looking at an additional expense of 55 cents per load. In terms of electricity wastefulness, using the Hot/Warm setting once per day for a year is the same as leaving your refrigerator door open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the entire year.