For two weeks, the microwave was unplugged whenever it was not being used. By the end of the experiment, the household had saved roughly half a kilowatt-hour of electricity.
Although the energy reduction was measurable, the money saved was very small—only a few dollars over an entire year. Constantly resetting the clock and reaching for the outlet also became inconvenient.
The experiment showed that unplugging a microwave can save some electricity, but the effect is minor. Focusing on larger energy users such as heating, cooling, and water heaters can usually produce much greater savings.
