ASK A GEEK

DO MY CHARGERS STILL SUCK POWER WHEN MY GAD GETS AREN'T CHARGING?

Granted, your use may be relatively little, but there are steps you can take to limit the amount of power your chargers waste. Start just by touching a plugged charger-if it's warm, it's using electricity. It's ideal to unplug adapters right after devices are fully charged; set an alarm for a few hours after you plug in to remind yourself to check on them. And if you're charging multiple devices at once, use a power strip so you can cut the power to all of them at once after charging.AN EARBUD TAPE MEASURE*Afraid so. Chargers and power adapters, which convert AC power to lower-voltage DC current for gadgets like cellphones, often still use some energy after they've completed charging. In fact, "vampire energy"-power consumed by electronics left in standby mode-accounts for 5 to 10 percent of all U.S. household electricity consumption.HAVE A 5-MINUTE project idea? Send it to us at h20@bonniercorp.com.MARIELA MOON is a technology reporter for goodcleantech.comHOW 2.0THE 5 minute PROJECTWhy: So you'll almost always have a tape measure handyDIY: 1. Hold the earbud cord next to a ruler and make inch markings. 2. Heat the cord gently with a soldering iron or other heat source so the ink doesn't smear. 3. Measure stuff.Got a question? Send it to us at h20@bonniercorp.com.

Adapters can also suck power even when they're plugged in but not connected to a device, so you may want to upgrade to Energy Star-certified ones (check the list of chargers for various devices at energystar.gov), which on average are 30 percent more efficient than others. Nokia's high-efficiency chargers, for example, use only 0.03 watt of so-called no-load energy. That won't save the planet by itself, but it easily beats the 0.5-watt maximum consumption that Energy Star requires and the average 1 watt that old block cell chargers use.