putting a switch on the plugs in my house?

[BrianG]

Originally Posted by crazyjr

Why not just click the circut breaker in less used areas of the house?

Because most houses have multiple rooms on one breaker. Shutting off a breaker might affect more than you know. Also, I don't think I want to trudge downstairs in the dark corner of my basement to turn on/off the breaker so that I can save $0.20 per month from my cell phone wall-wart charger.

Breakers are NOT simply switches, they are over-current devices. If you wear them out with repeated on/off cycles, they may not trip when they are supposed to, or trip before they are supposed to. It's along the same lines as using a screwdriver as a prybar; sure, it may work, but it's not the intended use for the tool. And like I said, one breaker may control each side of the house, or several rooms, etc.

From my experience, those fliers from the elec co are a bit inflated. $30 savings a month is kinda hard on a $90 bill. You'd have to cut your power use by 33%. I still think switched power strips is the way to go on some of the smaller items.