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Energy ManagementVampire Loads
The TV is switched off and there is no cell phone on the charger, so they aren’t using energy, right? Well, not exactly. Items like your TV, stereo, coffee maker, and cell phone chargers use some energy any time they are plugged in – whether you’re using them or not.
 These devices are often called “energy vampires.” A vampire load is the electric current consumed by an appliance when the appliance is switched off but still plugged into an energy source. Some common energy vampires include chargers, DVD players, laptops, desktops, TVs, printers, faxes, and anything with a remote or a clock display. The reason for these electronics drawing energy when they are switched off is that on today’s appliances, “off” actually means “standby.”Though these little vampires only draw a few watts apiece, consider that the typical home has about 20 of them. Would you ever allow a dripping faucet to continue dripping and wreak havoc on your water bill? How about 20 of them? No, we’d turn the knob tighter or fix the drip.
But how do we keep these energy vampires at bay? Here are a few tips:
1. Use a power strip. By plugging all of those energy vampires into a strip, you can turn all of them completely off when they are not in use. The convenience of one true “off” button works well for combating the energy loss of several appliances. 2. Simply unplug the “vampires.” Keep rarely used appliances unplugged. Don’t leave chargers plugged in when they are not charging anything. If you are going away on vacation, unplug those appliances – you certainly can’t use them if you’re not home. 3. Consider buying appliances with the Energy Star label when you need to replace old appliances. We know it’s not feasible to unplug everything – like the refrigerator and washer and dryer – so buying an Energy Star rated appliance will at least give you an appliance with a smaller vampire load. ________________________________________________ More Energy Management Resources: Top 10 Energy Saving Tips  For more information on energy saving tips, you can request your copy of "You Have the Power! A Guide to Cost-Cutting Conservation Measures" from the cooperative.  You can also visit the Energy Savers page at the Department of Energy's website.
Last Modified: June 28, 2011
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