Warding Off Vampire Loads
Many consumer electronics continue to draw power even when they are switched off. This is known as a vampire load. The primary culprits are chargers, set-top television boxes, instant-on televisions, and gaming systems.
According to the National Renewable Energy Lab, vampire loads cost $200 every year in the average home. Luckily, there are some easy steps to ward off these energy ghouls and goblins!
- Unplug devices and chargers you aren’t using. This includes anything with an LED display like microwaves.
- Turn off all devices when they are no longer in use. Sleep modes do not stop electricity from flowing.
- Use advanced or smart power strips.
- Disable automatic updates in gaming consoles and turn the console completely off when you finish using it.
- Replace your devices and appliances with an EnergyStar rated product.
Advanced Power Strips (APS) look just like ordinary power strips, except that they have built-in features that are designed to reduce the amount of energy used by many consumer electronics. There are several different types of APSs on the market, but they all operate on the same basic principle of shutting off the supply power to devices that are not in use. By replacing your standard power strip with an APS, you can significantly cut the amount of electricity used by your home office and entertainment center devices, and save money on your electric bill.
