With power bills going up, we're all looking for ways to save money any way we can. But it may be more difficult than you think. Appliances are never really "off" because your house "leaks" electricity.

You think you've turned off everything in the house before you leave, but like a science fiction movie, it's still on -- along with anything in your house that's plugged in...

"When you turn off modern appliances, like computers, you're not really turning them off at all. You're just putting them on standby."

It's using what's called "phantom" electricity -- the tiny amount of power that some appliances use even though they seem to be turned off.

Phil Moye with American Electric Power says "Studies have shown that a typical household in our area could cost you as much as $20 a year just in phantom energy -- things you really can't control."

And that translates into higher bills...even though the rate people pay for electricity has stayed essentially the same since 1990...

"What we found is that since 1991, consumers are using around 20% electricity than they were at the beginning of the 1990s, and that has an impact of about $140 a year on that consumer's bill." says Moye.

Blame it on modern living. We need our MTV, DVD, computer, printer, clock radios, microwave, and dishwasher.

But you can reduce electric usage by buying products that have the federal government's Energy Star label.

For example...one step is to change out the five bulbs you use the most in your home with compact florescent bulbs.

"Compact florescent bulbs use about a quarter the energy of a typical incandescent bulb." says Moye. And they tend to last 10-times longer.

Exect to see more products this holiday season with the Energy Star label. They're designed to plug these energy leaks, and at the same time, save you money.

You can get a list of approved products with the Energy Star label by calling Energy Star at 1-888-STARYES....or visiting its web site at "w-w-w dot energy star dot gov"

By the way, to put it in another perspective, TVs and VCRs alone cost Americans one-billion dollars a year in electric bills while not in use.