“Vampire Power”—What’s That?

If you are conscientious about your energy use (likely a few of you are if you’re reading this blog!) you will want to pay attention to a recent Powerley article about vampire power—also referred to as “phantom”, “phantom load” or standby power. In short, this is the power your appliances draw when they are plugged in but not “on” or actually in use.

This may come as a surprise, but appliances use a lot more power when they’re “off” than most people realize. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, “vampire power” from appliances and electronics accounts for 10% of the energy used in an average home. For the United States, that’s nearly 52 billion kWh per year—the output of 26 average-size power plants!

The good news is that small adjustments for common home appliances have reduced the estimated annual standby cost of these devices by nearly 58%—a significant number for such a minimal investment of time and effort (you can read the complete details of their findings here).

Vampire Hunting In Your Home

With all of this in mind, what are the best ways to reduce phantom load in your home? Let’s break down some solutions, room by room:

• In the Kitchen—Did you know your microwave uses more energy powering its clock than it does cooking food over the course of a year? Try putting your microwave and other smaller appliance on an outlet strip with a power switch to kill the juice when they are not in use.
• In the Living Room—Your plasma screen and cable box are the big culprits here, but unplugging those devices may be inconvenient given their placement in the room. The solution? Try a smart power plug, which can turn off your electronics automatically at night, then restore the power supply in the morning.
• In Your Home Office—Most computers these days have “sleep” modes that work in both battery and power adapter settings. Do a little research to understand how to best use these features. Consider powering down your computer (and printer or other applicable accessories) before you go to bed too. And when your laptop is finished charging, unplug the charger from the wall so it doesn’t continually drain power.
• In Your Bedroom(s)—Be on the lookout for plugged-in chargers for electronics, as well as space heaters and air conditioning units that are not in use. Unplugging your alarm clock would be great, too, but isn’t always practical. However, alarm clocks in guest rooms, or in children’s rooms when they’re away at college, are fair game. The same goes for rarely used TVs, game consoles, DVD players and other electronics (anything with an LED display or power light).
• In the Bathroom(s)—Always unplug potential fire hazards such as hair dryers, straighteners and curling irons when you are not using them. Doing so will save power, and potentially much more.

The Bottom Line

If you’re serious squeezing every last bit of energy efficiency out of your home, look no further than your power outlets. Always-on devices in your home are using energy and sucking up a significant amount of your hard-earned money in the process. But with a few simple adjustments, you can kill your vampires and become a smarter home energy user!

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