Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe TORONTO, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- A Toronto electric utility claims workplace slackers not only waste time, but huge amounts of energy by leaving lights and computers on to make them look busy. The survey commissioned by Toronto Hydro found nearly one in 10 Toronto workers -- most of them less than 34 years old -- leave lights or computers on to give the impression they're working. Advertisement Conservative estimates are that some 1.3 million people work in office-type settings with computers in the city of Toronto, meaning 130,000 people "slack off" using electricity. The average computer uses about 120 watts, and the annual cost to run an average computer and monitor for 24 hours a day is about $168. Task lighting or desk lamps use another $50 per year if left on all the time, and the utility said from an office expense perspective, equipment left on needlessly can represent millions of dollars in electricity costs.
