C.A.R. GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK: KILL A WATT AND SAVE A BUCK

Your office probably has machines or plugs that "suck" electricity or use electricity on a constant basis with no benefit to the company, i.e., printers, chargers for portable devices, etc. One way to identify these amperage-sucking "vampires" is to connect these devices to the Kill-a-Watt TM Electricity Usage Monitor (retails for approximately $24).The Kill-a-Watt TM unit's large LCD display counts consumption by the kilowatt-hour, the same as your local utility. You can calculate your electrical expenses by the day, week, month, or year. You'll know if it's time for a new refrigerator in the office break room or if that old air conditioner is cost-efficient. Available from Amazon.com or other online vendors.C.A.R.'s "Green Tips" are a new feature of "C.A.R. Newsline" and are part of the Association's effort to raise member awareness about environmentally sound practices and offer REALTORS® ideas for greening their business practices and better serving their green-minded consumers. For more green real-estate-related tips and discussion, visit C.A.R.'s green blog: http://www.car.org/blogs/index.php