Warning: Your eco-friendly smart home is probably a power hog if you ignore standby loads
Just realized after monitoring my own setup that standby power from 'green' devices is killing my savings. I picked up how to use a kill-a-watt meter and the results were shocking, like my smart thermostat sucking 20 watts 24/7. Now I audit every gadget and unplug anything non-essential, which is a skill nobody talks about. For example, my friend's 'energy efficient' LED strips drew more idle than when on. TBH, calling tech sustainable while ignoring vampire loads is pure hypocrisy. Mastering this cut my bill by 30% and exposed so much greenwashing. If you're not tracking standby, you're just pretending to be eco-conscious.