Take a minute and look at all the electronic devices around you as you read this blog on your computer or tablet. You probably have a keyboard, mouse, speakers, a printer and probably a charger or two lying around. If you count up to 24, you have just as many electronics as the average household. (To reach that number, you might need to look around the whole house, not just by your computer.) Now think if you amped up the energy savings by owning computer accessories with green technology.

Look for the Energy Star label on your computer accessories, like our printer.

To find computer accessories with green technology, you won’t have to look far. Plenty of options exist online or at the local electronics store. They will typically cost a little more than the regular version of the product, but during its lifetime, the device will pay for itself in energy savings.

A really easy way to look for energy-efficient computer accessories is by searching for the Energy Star label. Energy Star certifies printers, scanners, fax machines, telephones, speakers, DVD players and more. These certified models typically save 45 percent more energy than the conventional model. Through testing, Energy Star certifies these computer accessories based on their ability to save electricity through power, idle and sleep modes.

Cordless telephones provide a great example. They sit in a low-power mode all the time, draining energy. Combined with other audio and video electronics, the low-power mode accounts for 40 percent of monthly energy use at home. To help remedy this, Energy Star finds phone that provide efficient standby modes and smart chargers. Because cordless phones sit in their dock a majority of the time, but don’t need to be charging the entire time, these features are important. Instead of sucking 3 watts or more, Energy Star sets its standard for cordless phones at 2 watts or less. Plus the lower energy pull, some phones offer a smart charging dock that shuts off when the device is fully charged. Every watt saves you energy and money.

You can also install other automatic shut-off chargers around your home to reduce energy loss. Chargers such as GreenZero and Dexim work like regular chargers but turn off automatically when full charge is reached.

Or you can skip electronic equipment all together and use a simpler, green technology machine. Increase the volume on your tablet without electronic speakers by attaching an amplifying device, such as an Amplifiear or SoundBender. These units simply attach around your tablet’s speaker and bounce the sound waves directly toward you, instead of them scattering around the room. Save a little extra money by making your own amplifier. Use an everyday object, such as a plastic cup or toilet paper roll, to create a speaker.

Now knowing about some different computer accessories with green technology, take another look around your computer. Do you see any device that could use an energy-efficient upgrade? Let me know in the comments section below if you plan on changing any of your electronics or already own computer accessories with green technology.

This was also published on ABET as part of my internship with them.