Increasingly we are surrounded by electrical appliances in 'standby mode' - computers, fax machines, video recorders, printers, copiers, microwave ovens and many others. Most of us pay little attention to these machines sitting quietly, doing very little, awaiting our instructions. But did you know that the standby mode is consuming a growing share of the electricity generated in your country - often as much as 5% already?

Producing electricity for machines to do nothing is costing your citizens millions of dollars. And it is adding hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide to the global emissions that are heating our planet and disrupting our climate.

Without causing consumers any inconvenience at all, parliamentary action now can significantly reduce those costs. This Parliamentary Toolkit, produced by the e-Parliament Climate and Energy Network, explains how it can be done. There is no need for international treaties. All that is needed is an initiative in your national parliament or congress.