THE COST OF STAND-BY POWER

Ever wonder exactly how much power is actually being used by appliances "that are always 'on' while seemingly 'off'," such as a television?

C. CLAIBORNE RAY of the New York Times has the answer right here, including a laboratory Web site of Standby Power Data that "provides tables of the minimum, average and maximum power used by appliances that cannot be switched off completely without being unplugged."