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albeit with just a single small LED, all the time. Our plan is to install a switch onthis circuit in the cupboard next to the unit so that we can disconnect this tinytrickle of power when the unit is not in use.R The VCR we have is quite old. Surprisingly it does not have the usual time displayfound on most machines, yes the one that flashes 12:00 all the time because wecant figure out how to use the system. Again, these constant unused electronicindicators mean that these machines are always on and using power. Wevehooked everything up to a power bar which we use to turn everything off whenwe are not using them.R The stereo system and T V also require a power bar to switch them off. This ofcourse causes the internal clocks to require re -setting each time we turn them onagain. We find this a small price to pay. We rarely use these features now since wedont have a cable or satellite dish connection any more.R When we purchased a new computer we chose a notebook model which isdesigned from the ground up to minimize energy consumption especially whenthe built-in rechargeable batteries are in use (ours uses NiMH batteries). The builtin software on the Sony Viao computer we purchased provides extensiveautomated power management some of which we can control. For the most partthis minimizes energy usage whenever possible. Since all battery rechargingsystems use a transformer of some kind either built in or external it is stillnecessary for us to use a power bar to turn off power once we have completedusing or charging the batteries in the computer. One day it is our hope that thesoftware that manages these notebook computers will be enhanced to allow thekind of control we require for eliminating any kind of power usage when notrequired (eliminating the slow trickle of transformer systems used for chargingbatteries). It would also make sense for the computer systems to eventually beable to monitor all electrical system activity and actively minimize usage.R Garden path lights usually are simply plugged into an external outlet. Insteadweve purchase a pair that are solar powered and use LED technology to providethe light that is highly energy efficient. These packages come with rechargeableAA NiMH batteries and solar cells. The first unit we bought at our local CanadianTire retailer has proven inadequate for our purposes. It does not provide enoughlight. Plus our dog ate one of them recently. Until we find a unit that is sturdyenough and provides sufficient light we are doing without these devices.275