Love Your Home, Kill the Energy Vampire

The digital age. We have gadgets galore, and electricity use has continued to increase as more and more of these digital devices enter into our homes. Instead of one home phone, each family member has a smart phone. Instead of one TV in the living room, many homes have three to four.   

Many of these devices come with their own power adapters. Smartphones, are an example. Many people keep their smart phone chargers plugged in at all times (usually near a bedside table) to make charging easier. The problem with this is that even if a phone isn’t plugged into the charger, the power adapter itself is still using energy. 

This invisible energy consumption, often called “Vampire Load”, can account for 5%-10% of your household’s energy usage.  

This is also true with TVs, DVD players, gaming consoles and many electronics that have a lit display. To save the most energy, it’s best to completely unplug these electronics from the outlet when they are not in use. 

Another way to “kill the vampire,” if you aren’t interested in adding unplugging to your daily routine, is to invest in smart power strips. In comparison to traditional power strips that simply increase the number of electrical outlets in your home, smart power strips work to reduce your power usage by shutting down power to products that go into stand-by mode.  

Being aware of your biggest energy users and removing vampire load can add up to big energy savings. If you’d like to test some electronics in your home to see how much electricity they use, contact our Energy Services Department at 1.866.254.8100 ext. 8119 to borrow a Kill-A-Watt Energy Usage monitor for 30 days at no charge. (6137001)

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