Beware of Energy Vampires!

​What's scarier than horror movies, graveyards, and haunted houses?
​Energy Vampires!

Energy vampires (aka phantom loads) are appliances that are continually sucking electricity even when they are turned off. Appliances may appear off but if they are plugged in, the standby mode is still thirsty for energy.

According to the Department of Energy, Energy Vampires drain 4-5% of the energy in an average home, which adds up to approximately $92 per year in the average household and $4 billion a year in the US combined. This energy wasted equals roughly 52 billion kWH per year, which is equivalent to 26 average sized power plants, and is the source of 1% of the US CO2 emissions each year (1996-2013 Salt River Project (SRP) and 2008 Good Magazine LLC).

To identify these suckers, try turning off your lights and looking around. Standby lights are signs energy is draining, even though the product isn't in use. Want to know what kind of energy vampires are in your home? Check out this calculator and see how much money you could be saving. 

​Top Energy Vampires

Energy Vampires can live anywhere in your house, check out the list below to learn which appliances might be draining you energy.
 

• ​HD-DVR, 1 HD Set-Top Box
• Instant-on TVs. In most instances, the larger the screen, the more energy the TV uses
• Computers and computer-related equipment such as modems, routers, printers and fax machines
• Any items in your house that maintain a clock: microwave and programmable coffee maker​​​

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How to Identify Energy Vampires

Even when you are not using appliances or electronics, energy vampires can still consume power just by being plugged into the wall.  Look around your home for any plug electronics that are not being use. Chances are that most of them are draining energy without your knowledge. Find below a list of clues to recognize energy vampires at home:

• Has 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?
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• Unplug appliances and electronics, especially cell phone chargers and video game systems, when not in use.
• Use power strips that will turn off all appliances (TVs and HD-DVR players) or electronics (all computer equipment) plugged into them.
• Turn off routers, printers and other peripheral computer equipment when not in use.
• Replacing Outdated and Inefficient HD-DVR Boxes and contact your provider to request energy star rated HD Set-Top Boxes.​

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​This Halloween, and every day, unplug electronics not in use to keep out energy vampires!

To  protect the planet and your wallet against energy vampires contact All In Energy and get a no cost Home Energy Assessment!