Time now for our "Life & Info" segment... where we focus on information useful for your everyday life.<br />Energy bills tend to shoot up during the summer, when air conditioning is a MUST for beating the heat.<br />But armed with some tips, households in South Korea were able to cut their annual energy bills by more than a hundred dollars.<br />Park Se-young has more.<br />From the TV in the living room to the microwave in the kitchen, appliances at home consume energy even when they're not being used.<br />Simply unplugging the devices or switching off the power strip can help save energy and reduce electricity bills.<br /><br />"Saving on standby energy can reduce electricity usage by six percent. It also helps to buy energy-efficient appliances."<br /><br />People are also recommended to develop habits like filling the refrigerator 60 percent, reducing laundry loads and using the warm function on rice cookers less often to save energy.<br />During summer, turning off the hot water function on water purifiers can reduce energy use.<br />For air conditioners, cleaning filters every two weeks and keeping the AC condenser free of other objects can help reduce unnecessary power consumption.<br />Replacing fluorescent lamps with LED lights also reduces energy bills, but comes with extra costs.<br />Households that follow such guidelines are able to save around 125 U.S. dollars a year on their energy bills while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.<br />Park Se-young, Arirang News.<br />
