Watch out for "energy vampires" in your home
"Vampire" appliances
use electricity even when they are turned off because they go into a standby mode rather than fully powering down.
According to the Department of Energy, vampire appliances and electronics use about 4% or 5% of the energy in an average
home. When you include all homes in the U.S., that totals about 52 billion kWh per year or about 26 average-size power plants.
Top 5 energy vampires
- Computers and computer-related equipment such as modems, routers, printers and fax machines
- Instant-on TVs, such as plasma, LCD and rear-projection. In most instances, the larger the screen, the more energy the TV uses
- Surround sound systems
- Cable or satellite TV boxes
- Any items in your house that maintain a clock: microwave, programmable coffeemaker, all digital clocks and DVD/VCR machines
How to identify energy vampires
- An external power supply
- A remote control
- A continuous display (including an LED), such as a clock
- Charges batteries
How can you stop energy vampires?
- Unplug appliances and electronics, especially cell phone chargers and video game systems, when not in use.
- Use power strips which will turn off all appliances (TVs, cable/satellite boxes and VCR/DVD players) or electronics (all computer equipment) plugged into it.
- Turn off routers, printers and other peripheral computer equipment when not in use.
How much do vampire appliances cost?
What kind of bite do energy vampires take out of your pocketbook? Use the calculator below to find out.