Their luminous eyes stare at us in the dark, yet we sleep. These beasts should be keeping us awake as they devour our energy and hard-earned dollars; energy vampires are getting away with draining our resources.
In the U.S., we lose around $19 billion a year to energy vampires. American households could be saving between $165 and $440 per year on energy bills by tackling this monstrous problem.
Some states have energy vampires leeching as much as 23% of a home’s electricity usage.
Luckily, there are some simple ways you can slay energy vampires — no stakes or garlic required.
What Is the Definition of an Energy Vampire?
An energy vampire is an electrical appliance that continues to use power when it’s not in use, turned off, or on standby mode. The ghoulish name comes from their ability to drain electricity when seemingly idle.
Standby mode and phantom loads are other names for energy vampires. The term “phantom load” was adopted because no one notices the vampire appliances sucking away power.
How Do I Know If My Home Has Energy Vampires?
As a society, many of us are accustomed to the easy switch-on of appliances, leaving them on standby, ready for use. Energy vampires are masters of camouflage and stealth in this modern “always-on” world of devices.
Most energy vampires (51%) are present in our day-to-day electronics like computers, TVs, printers, and video game stations. Around a third (34%) linger in background appliances like pumps and aquariums. Just 15% live in the traditional heavy electricity users like HVAC systems and lighting.
What Types of Energy Vampires Are There?
Energy vampires come in several forms, and all use electricity when it’s not necessary.
Always-on vampires: Devices that are always running, either awaiting instruction or use. A voice-activated device is an example; it can be plugged in and off but still uses electricity while waiting to hear a voice. Other always-on items include those that can’t easily be turned off, including refrigerators and thermostats.
Standby or remote vampires: People switch many appliances to standby for convenience. Some, like televisions, use electricity while waiting for the remote control to activate.
Non-remote vampires: Digital clocks and modems are two examples of appliances we need or choose to leave on.
Of course, we cannot unplug everything when it’s not in use. A digital clock, a telephone, or an answering machine needs continuous power to fulfill its functions.
A few smaller appliances won’t make a massive difference to your energy bill. However, you may be surprised if you count the number of electrical appliances in your home and determine how many are on standby or constantly plugged in. The numbers soon add up, as do the dollars on your energy bills.
Why Do Energy Vampires and Phantom Loads Happen?
Every cable that remains plugged into an outlet pulls some electricity from the socket. Sleep and standby modes reduce an appliance’s power use but not completely. Devices may record information and look for updates, and smart devices may connect to a Wi-Fi router and exchange data. People may not notice this use in their daily lives because the device appears to be doing nothing.
How Can I Spot an Energy Vampire?
The good news is that phantom loads and energy vampires are easy to identify. They plug into electrical outlets and then have one or all of the following capabilities:
- Remote control operation
- Charge batteries or appliances
- Have a continuous electronic display, such as a clock, or an LED standby light
All of these can create phantom loads and become energy vampires. Look at the cable and plug types because these can also be energy vampires. There are two to be aware of: warts and bricks.
A wall wart is a cable with a large plug, commonly used as cell phone chargers. These consume energy when not in use. Televisions and laptops are appliances that often have cables with bricks, a large black box found on the power cord. Bricks consume electricity even if the device is not in use.
Why Do Appliances Have Standby Modes?
Companies invented standby modes to make their products more manageable for us. Lifestyle preferences mean many people would much rather use a remote control to turn their TV on and off rather than get up to plug or unplug it.
Some of our favorite gadgets require 24/7 power (like digital clocks) as do some systems. Technological advances mean we may enjoy security from burglar alarms knowing the price is that they remain switched on round-the-clock. The same applies to electronic or cordless phones.
What Appliances Are Energy Vampires?
Households are full of energy vampires. Here are some common examples of devices that continue to use electricity while they remain plugged in:
- Microwaves with digital clocks
- Programmable coffee makers or those with LED lights
- Thermostats, which are not easy to turn on and off continually, but they can use optimized settings
- Televisions, laptops, and games consoles
How Much Are Energy Vampires Costing Me?
The National Resources Defense Council studied the costs associated with phantom loads and energy vampire appliances. Their experts found these worst-case annual costs for 10 everyday machines left in “always-on” mode (that is, not unplugged):
- Water recirculation pump: up to $93
- Desktop computer: up to $49
- Television: up to $38
- Cable set-top box: up to $30
- Audio receiver/stereo: up to $22
- Printer: up to $11
- Furnace: up to $8
- Coffee maker: up to $6.
- Dryer: up to $4
- Ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets: $1 each
What Appliances Use the Most Vampire Energy?
Some appliances use a lot of electricity plugged in but are idle. The figures from Berkeley Lab’s Standby Power Summary Table are pretty revealing.
The average idle desktop computer uses around 73 watts of power and 21 watts in sleep mode. An inkjet fax on standby consumes almost as much energy (5.3 watts) as it does when in operation (6.2 watts).
The list continues, with DVR set-top boxes with digital cables one of the worst offenders, burning through power at almost the same rate whether on standby or recording with the TV on or off.
Rear-projection televisions use almost 7 watts of electricity, whether off by remote or switch. The Department of Energy’s appliance energy calculator estimates it would cost $7.36 a year to leave an LCD TV on standby for a year.
Game consoles use 27 watts when played, just 1 watt when off, but a whopping 23 watts when in ready mode. That’s $24 a year to be in ready mode.
How Can I Slay My Home’s Energy Vampires?
Fortunately, there are many simple tricks to vanquish energy vampires and reduce the phantom loads in your home. These are easy to implement and won’t detract from your lifestyle or enjoyment of your home and its appliances.
- Unplug all devices that you seldom use
- Make sure you unplug devices once they are charged
- Use power strips to turn off multiple devices quickly
An energy audit of your home may reveal you have inefficient devices; replacing them with energy-efficient ones can save money. According to Energy Star, energy-efficient models can save up to 10% in energy for room air conditioners and up to $220 over the lifetime of a refrigerator.
A thermostat is an appliance that is difficult to unplug regularly. Consider installing a smart thermostat to adjust space heating and cooling more accurately and efficiently, including remote control options when you’re away from home.
Motion sensors switch off lights when you are no longer in the room. This is technically an energy-saving tip and not vampire energy advice, but a good one nonetheless.
You could also unplug the TV, cell phone, tablet, or game console for a while and do something non-electricity-based like reading, playing a board game, or going for a walk. While this doesn’t prevent phantom loads continually, it will save you energy and money and perhaps elevate your mood too.
Why Should I Use Power Strips to Avoid Phantom Loads?
Power strips are pure garlic to energy vampires, cutting off the head of the electrical supply in true vampire-slaying style.
Power strips are fantastic for convenience and saving energy. The strip’s cable plugs into an outlet and then offers multiple outlets to which you can connect several devices. This setup helps in modern homes where it’s common to have many electrical appliances in one house area.
The strength of power strips is not only in providing multiple electrical outlets. They can also cut the electricity supply to all connected devices with just one flick of a switch. Let’s look at the different types and how best to use them to ward off energy vampires.
What Are the Best Energy-Saving Power Strips?
There are several types of power strips. Please ensure you buy a power strip that meets your devices’ total energy needs and do not leave power strips on all the time.
The basic power strip is an affordable and effective way to avoid phantom loads. The strip has a red power button that supplies or cuts the power to all of its connected devices simultaneously. Simply switching the power strip off stops electricity flowing to the appliances and keeps energy vampires at bay. Look for power strips with surge protection.
Remote power strips turn on and off just like a basic power strip. The difference is that it has a remote instead of the red button as its control device.
A timer power strip is programmable, so it turns on and off when you set it. These are useful for things like electric water heaters, which you may only wish to turn on at night when electricity is often cheaper or even free, depending on your energy plan. Or perhaps you want your coffee maker to switch on and make you a nice warm brew when you wake up in the morning.
Are you someone who falls asleep on the couch or forgets to turn devices off when leaving rooms? The activity monitor power strip could help. Motion sensors sense if you are using a device’s remote and, if not, cut the power to that outlet.
Maybe you know that once the TV or radio switches you head to bed or go out of the house. Master-controlled power strips take advantage of our behaviors by electing one appliance as “master.” Once that master appliance is turned off, the power strips cut power to all the other gadgets plugged into it. Turning off a bedroom light could turn off a TV, radio, or phone charger as well.
Finally, there is the masterless power strip. When no appliances are in use and drawing power, the strip cuts power to all connected devices.
Smart power strips are the next generation of power strips. You plug your appliances into them like other power strips, but their Wi-Fi connectivity sets them apart. You can connect smart power strips to apps on your cell phone, laptop, tablet, or voice-activated home assistants.
Smart power strips can monitor energy usage. You can turn outlets on and off by speaking to your Alexa, Siri, or Google Nest and even manage the power delivered by them while away from home. You can also program them to respond to other smart devices like sensors and doorbells, turning things like lamps on as you approach.
Banishing Energy Vampires Saves Money and Energy
Energy vampires are an unnecessary and costly evil that can be dealt with efficiently. And like characters in horror movies, energy vampires know most of us will stumble unknowingly into their trap eventually.
Simple measures like power strips, unplugging seldom-used devices, and not overcharging gadgets will drive most energy vampires from your home. Using less energy means cheaper bills and a lower carbon footprint, two vital positives as the world grapples with climate change and global warming.
While paying attention to these phantom loads, don’t forget to review your electricity usage and look at a possible new energy deal. Reducing and making sure make a real difference to energy bills. Perhaps add renewable energy to your plan. It’s time to confront your energy vampires and, like Stoker’s Dracula, deal with them so they no longer give you nightmares.
Brought to you by amigoenergy
All images licensed from Adobe Stock.
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