I think I've found the culprit

We've been trying to figure out why out utilities bill is always so high every month.  Where we live, all city utilities (water, sewer, trash, power) come in on one bill.  Add to that the fact that we also use the city for our cable and internet, and it's a pretty comprehensive bill.

What we haven't been able to figure out, however, is why our power consumption has always been so high.  

Until Mel pointed out that I have three computers running around the clock.  Oops.  So, I'm in the midst of moving everything over to the media center that I can so I can take the server offline and see what sort of dent that makes in our power usage.  I'll also be turning our main computer over to "Max Power Save Mode" whatever that means, to see what happens.  The media center, unfortunately, is doomed to stay on 24/7 as that's part of it's nature.  

I could try and convince Mel to let me upgrade to the newest in power saving components, but somehow I don't think I have the right skills to convince her. 

"But honey, if you let me spend $900 in parts, I can save us a little in power every month!  A new LCD TV also takes power!  Don't you want to save the Earth?"

Any suggestions on how to proceed are welcome.