>>...Okay, I can see the A/C's...but how do I know if an appliance is "on" when there is no power to tell? ...<<
Turn the ON/OFF switch to the OFF position. Failing that, induce infinite resistance into the circuit (unplug it)
Most of my applicances don't have on/off switches. Most just one button to turn off, same one to turn off. Or they are like lamp knobs that just go "click - on...click - off". Those types.