Remembering all the energy conservation tips we learn is hard. Why not let these gadgets do the heavy lifting for you?

Turn off lights when you’re not in the room. Reduce the setting of the thermostat by 4 degrees when you leave the house or go to sleep. Unplug unnecessary devices when they’re not in use. The list of “easy” ways to save energy grows longer by the day, and some of us are better at executing them than others.

And just to make things more complicated, we’ve recently discovered phantom energy leaks–energy that’s wasted when devices are plugged in, but not in use.

Thankfully, energy conservation gadgets are emerging every day. Leveraging the power of smart and mobile technologies, these devices bring the “set it and forget it” mantra into the realm of energy conservation. These gadgets will remember to save energy even when you forget while also making it possible to monitor your energy usage from afar, and over time! (And they also make great holiday presents for the green geeks on your list.)

 5 Energy Conservation Gadgets That Work (Even When You’re Not Home!)

1. EcoGuard Smart Outlet & Meter

Developed by Telkonet, this gadget has the ability to monitor and stop the flow of power to one or both outlets, turning off lamps, televisions, appliances, and any other energy-consuming appliances when the room is unoccupied. The EcoGuard [PDF] also monitors cost, voltage, amperage, kWh, and other metrics in 15-minute increments. The only drawback is that it’s only designed to work with Telkonet’s EcoSmart energy management system. If you’re not ready for that type of investment, check out the Belkin Conserve Socket ($9.99) that can be programmed to turn off during certain periods of the day.

2. Nest Thermostat

These days, it’s hard to read anything about home energy conservation without a mention of the super-sexy Nest Thermostat. Like many gadgets these days, the Nest is intelligent, which means it can learn from your habits to optimize its own performance. Instead of complicated programming, you just turn the Nest thermostat up and down to suit your needs. After about two weeks, it will learn your habits, and begin to adjust itself based on the time of day. When you’re not around, it can be controlled from your phone.

3. Conserve Valet Smart USB Charging Station

I’m pretty good about turning off lights and managing the thermostat, but one thing that often makes me wince is plugging my phone in to charge, and then totally forgetting about it. Not only is this bad for my smartphone battery, it’s also a big waste of energy. The Conserve Valet Smart USB Charging Station from Belkin solves this problem beautifully. The table top gadget lets you charge all of your mobile devices in one convenient place, and automatically shuts off power—including standby power—after devices are fully charged. It even senses when new devices are added so you always get a full charge, and has an innovative cord management system to keep things neat.

4. Ecobutton Halo

Did you know your laptop or tablet has a plethora of settings to help conserve energy? Even more important, do you know where they are and how to manage them? Yeah. Ecobutton Halo is an affordable, plug-and-play device that’s meant to make energy conservation easier when it comes to computers. This simple USB plug-in instantly puts your computer into the most efficient sleep mode possible. “If you get up to get a cup of coffee, just tap the Eco Button and you’ll save energy while you’re away. When you return, tap the button again and your computer will instantly wake up, showing how much energy you saved and returning to your previous screen,” explains the Alliance to Save Energy. And it’s only $9.99!

5. Lutron Maestro Dimmer Switch with Occupancy Sensor

OK, this is for all of you with forgetful kids and spouses that are always leaving every light in the house burning bright. The Lutron Maestro Dimmer with Occupancy Sensor has a 150 degree motion detector with an angle up to 30 feet, so when the room is empty, the lights automatically turn themselves off. You can also pre-program the sensitivity and the time or operate it manually.

Related on Ecosalon:

The Green Kitchen: Painless Energy Conservation

10 Must-Have Green Gadgets for Your Home

10 Handy Green Gadgets You’ll Love To Use

Top image: nilsvik

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In our continued celebration of the lady geek, we present some of our favorite nerd girls who moonlight as environmental activists.

Celebrities make being famous look easy, but deep down inside those polished faces and sculpted bodies are some of the biggest nerds around. When not traipsing around on red carpets or dominating a boardroom, these famous faces geek out on the same things we do. What’s more, these influential women spend a lot of time worrying about what a mess we’ve made of this planet, and often use their unique combination of power and passion to create awareness about projects that matter.

1. Darryl Hannah – Theatre Geek

Hannah graduated from the University of Southern California School of Theatre where she studied both ballet and drama. Her long and illustrious film career includes nerdtastic credits such as “Blade Runner”, “Addams Family Reunion”, “Storm Seekers”, and of course, Tarantino’s masterpiece, “Kill Bill” (Vols. 1 & 2). But when not lighting up the Silver Screen, Hannah can be found in far less glamorous environs, like on-board the Sea Shepherd hunting whale killers or getting arrested for blocking construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. She also has her own sustainable solutions video blog called DHLoveLife, lives in a solar-powered home, and drives a biodiesel-powered car.

2. Melissa Etheridge – Music Geek

Activism seems to be as deeply ingrained in Etheridge’s being as the drive to create heartrending music. A proud cancer survivor, Etheridge has used her career to promote a range of health, human rights, and ecological causes including the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the Human Rights Campaign, and Live Earth. Her official website introduces new visitors with green tips and she wrote the theme song, “I Need To Wake Up,” for Al Gore’s global warming documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth.” She’s also a big advocate of biodiesel, using it in all of her tour buses and trucks, as well as in her own personal vehicle.

3. Olivia Wilde – TV Geek

Few actresses can claim not one but three nerdy tribute roles in their repertoire. Wilde has appeared in such gems as the musical comedy “The Ballad of G.I. Joe”, “Tron: Legacy”, and alongside Daniel Craig in the history-bending “Cowboys and Aliens.” Wilde is a vegan and was voted PETA’s Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity of 2010. Wilde is a board member of Artists for Peace and Justice, which provides education and health services in Haiti, and was commended by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a farmworkers’ union, for supporting the Fair Foods campaign.

4. Natalie Portman – Star Wars Geek

Natalie Portman became queen of the nerd girls way back in 1996 when she appeared in Tim Burton’s “Mars Attacks!” Since then, she’s only embraced her geeky side, with roles on “Sesame Street”, in “Garden State”, and most notably, as the gorgeous Padmé in the “Star Wars” Trilogy. Additionally, “Portman is a longtime vegetarian and animal-rights activist. And she’s been a longtime supporter of the Foundation for International Community Assistance, a microfinance organization that helps poor women around the world. In 2007, she traveled to Rwanda with zoologist Jack Hanna to film a documentary about endangered gorillas,” reports the Daily Green. She also designed a line of vegan shoes for Te Casan and donated all of the proceeds to environmental organizations.

5. Jessica Jackley – Internet Geek

You might not be on a first name basis with Jessica Jackley, but she’s definitely one of the nerd girls you should get to know. Jackley is the co-founder of Kiva.org, the world’s first peer-to-peer online microlending website. She is also the founder and CEO of ProFounder.com, a platform that provides new ways for small business entrepreneurs in the U.S. to access start-up capital through crowdfunding and community involvement. When not using internet technology to make the world a flatter place, she teaches Global Entrepreneurship at the Marshall School of Business at USC, and is a Visiting Scholar at Stanford’s Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society.

Related on Ecosalon: 

Green Celebrities: 5 Celebrities Doing Social Good

Interview: Jessica Alba Is Saving The World One Chemical At A Time

Images: Michelouise, guano, angela george, jingdianmeinv, gdcgraphics, FSU

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