What was that? Did you hear it? It's watching you. I think...no, I know that your house is haunted. It's home to the undead. To vampires...energy vampires. Most electronics that remain plugged in when not in use relegate themselves to a standby mode, in which they are still drawing current and using energy. That is referred to as vampire load (or sometimes phantom load).
According to The Fun Times Guide to Living Green,
The average American home has approximately 20 to 40 electronicsplugged in that abuse vampire power. These appliances can cost you close to $1,000 in electricity costs per year at current rates. Roughly $4 billion annually across the United States is spent on electricity lost to "vampire power," according to the International Energy Agency. The average microwave consumes more power when it is NOT in use.
Fortunately, it's not too difficult to say those vampires and exorcise those phantoms.
The best tactic to combat vampire energy is to unplug electronics when they're not in use, but let's face it, most people aren't going to do that. In that case, smart power strips are the second best defense....and they can save you a LOT of money.
Smart power strips have a designated control outlet that basically regulates the power draw of the other ones. For example, if you have a desktop computer tower plugged into the control outlet, the other outlets will receive power when the computer is on and will not draw power when the computer is shut down. They also usually have a few outlets that are "always on".
What if you want to slay vampire power but don't want to spend the $25-$95 on a smart power strip? A regular power strip will work just fine...so long as you flip the switch to the "off" position when you're not using it the devices plugged into it. The problem is then remembering to switch it off.
Enter the OnPlug.
So far only available in Canada, the OnPlug is a single outlet power bar with an indicator and an on/off switch. What makes the OnPlug uniqe is that it is all up in your face with vampire energy info. If current is being drawn through the OnPlug, its indicator light stays on, increasing the chances that you will actually switch it off. The OnPlug is available on Amazon for $7.99 (Canadian dollars).
What's your favorite weapon in the fight against vampire energy?
Eco Home Consultations
said on July 25, 2010
Jeffrey Davis
said on July 26, 2010