A report released this week is showing some improving signs in terms of power usage around the United States. Homes have generally been using about the same amount of power for quite some time but thanks to recent surges in green technology and more efficient heating and cooling it seems the average power consumption is in fact decreasing.

Amazingly the same report indicates that while power usage is generally down, the number of electronics and technological items is actually up. Most homes have significant more technology than ever before but because everything is getting more and more efficient the amount of power being used is decreasing. This is good news for millions of Americans because it will obviously mean a reduction in monthly power costs but at the same time it is very good news for the environment.

Even more amazing is the future predictions available for power usage; nearly all analysts and experts agree that power consumption will continue to fall and throughout the next decade it will begin to fall even more rapidly. Technology really is becoming significantly more efficient which is very good news environmentally; consumers are essentially helping reduce power waste by simply buying new devices and new technologies rather than using old outdated technology. At this point there is not a solid prediction of how much power consumption will decrease in the coming years but nearly everyone agrees that it will in fact be significant enough to make a major difference.

A school in Long Island New York announced this week that their experiment to reduce power consumption at the school was successful. The project was reportedly able to save the school over on third of a million dollars in a year simply by putting up reminders on sticky notes all around the schools in the district.

The Mount Sinai school district decided to implement this unique energy saving tactic last year when the district started facing serious budget cuts; officials reportedly though of the idea while brainstorming for potential budget savers. Shortly after thinking of the idea the school district put up small sticky notes over each light switch encouraging teachers, students, and staff to turn off the power when nobody is in the room.

Since 2007 the school district has seen an incredible decrease of 30% in power consumption and this program is the only program they have instituted. As news of the school district’s success spread around the country numerous other school districts have begun implementing similar programs. In the end schools are finally realizing that saving power is much easier than anticipated; it doesn’t require and special equipment or tools as long as children and taught the proper principals. In the long run this could even lead to less power consumption by the children as they get older and eventually move on to live on their own. For now though schools are simply happy to see a reduction in power costs.