Look around your home. How many electronic devices are “off,” but have a small light or digital clock? You may think those devices are “off,” but they’re always “on.” Those devices are in sleep or standby mode, this allows devices to perform updates, quickly turn on, record data or… just waste energy.
These unnecessary power suckers are known in the utilities industry as vampire loads or phantom loads. These spooky energy-sucking nicknames are meant to make you aware of the electricity being wasted by modern electronics. Those computers, cable boxes, phone charging cables, televisions and game consoles all use a small amount of energy even when turned “off.” Each phantom load device can cost a few dollars a year on your energy bill. That might not seem like a lot but add up all those devices and it equates to $100 per household annually according to ENERGY STAR®. Now that’s spooky!
The Department of Energy estimates phantom loads drain 5% of the energy consumed in the United States. Standby lights, LED displays and digital clocks on small appliances are ghoulie signs that energy is sucked by those devices when not in use.
How to put a stake in the vampires
One way to avoid wasting energy is to unplug devices that sit in standby when turned off. Or an easier method is to use a power strip to switch off all devices plugged into it.. In the age of “smart” everything, there are smart power strips that can automatically cut off energy to devices when they are fully charged or turned off.
When purchasing electronics and appliances, look for ENERGY STAR labels, those items will use lower power when in standby mode. If you’re good with math, you can always buy a watt meter (device to measure how much energy is being consumed by electronics) and find out exactly how much power is being used by the electronics in your home. Better yet, the Pikes Peak Library District has “Kill A Watt” meters available for checkout, all you need is a free library card.
You don’t need to cover electronics in garlic, just use some of these tips to improve your energy efficiency and rid the phantom vampires bleeding your money.
