Offices Waste Enough Energy To Roast 4.4 Million TurkeysOffices Waste Enough Energy To Roast 4.4 Million Turkeys

Before you leave for a long holiday weekend, turn off those computers, printers, and fax machines.

That's the warning coming from the U.K. division of Canon, which just completed a study showing that office equipment left running over a 10-day holiday break wastes 43.6 million kilowatts of electricity. That's enough power to roast 4.4 million turkeys. Seriously.

"It's clear that some equipment needs to be left on over the Christmas period for security reasons, but these amazing figures show that businesses that don't turn off their PCs and printers are literally throwing money away, as well as damaging the environment, over the festive period," said David Smith, a spokesman for Canon UK. "We have only looked at office equipment that is left in standby mode, so imagine how much higher these figures could be if devices are left completely on."

The study, which focused on companies in the U.K., showed that 90% of multifunctional printers are left on over the holiday break; 60% of laser printers; 50% of PCs; and 100% of fax machines.

How can you lower your energy bill?

Canon recommends that users switch PCs off completely, not just log off. Also, power down office peripherals, don't just let them go into standby mode, and don't forget to turn off the lights.