These days, everyone is looking to save time and trouble. We aim to help! We will offer a simple tip for everything from home renovation to cleaning to home buying in this space every month.

Today’s tip: How to save money by pulling the plug on energy wasters

They’re called “vampires.”—those appliances and electronics that suck electricity even when not in use. Put a dagger in these energy wasters— and slash your energy bills at the same time— with two easy steps:

First, locate the offenders, which, according to Visual Capitalist, are generally set top boxes (both digital cable) and satellite DVRs; computers, particularly laptops; printers; DVD/VCRs; center heating furnaces; routers and modems, phones and answering machines, gaming consoles, TVs and microwaves.

Next, pull the plug on these items when they’re not in use, or better yet, plug a group of offenders into a power strip. Then you can shut off the power strip, rather than making the rounds to each item.

Buying new products? Check to make sure they have low standby power usage, and when it comes to appliances, look for Energy Star options.