QUESTION: A friend told me that to save energy, he always unplugs his television and other electronic equipment when he is not using them. I'd imagine that today's TVs and other equipment are pretty energy efficient so I wonder if this is really necessary. Can we really be using electricity when these products are turned off?ANSWER: Let me put it this way. If you unplug your TV, DVD player and VCR when you're not using them, you can save a little money every month. Probably not enough so that you can retire this week, but enough that Americans could save more than $750 million every year by just turning off their televisions! Guess I've got your attention now.The problem is called "leaking electricity," and it refers to the fact that many appliances use electricity whenever they are plugged in. This is how the "instant on" features work, for example. Old-timers can remember turning on TV sets years ago and waiting and waiting and waiting for the picture to finally appear (I won't make you feel older by mentioning that you'd then see a test pattern). Today's TVs come on right away because electricity has been used to keep them ready.Even though most electronic products these days are indeed very energy-efficient, the stand-by electricity for appliances can easily cost you $30 or $40 each year in extra energy costs. One suggestion to help save wear and tear on the components is to plug them into a power strip and then just turn the strip off by pushing one button.Ken Sheinkopf is a communications specialist with the American Solar Energy Society (www.ases.org). Send your energy questions to askken@ases.org.