With some exceptions, most transformers (or "wall-warts") appliances with an internal power supply, clock, ready light, LED, or timer used with a remote control, draw electricity from the wall outlet even when they are "off." The biggest offenders are DVD players, stereos, TVs and VCRs, most computers and AC adapters ("wall cubes") used with many small appliances. Even cell phone or iPod chargers draw small amounts of energy that add up over the course of a year. For this reason, the energy drains they cause are called "phantom" or "vampire" loads.
What You Should Know
- Home Power magazine found the average American household supports 1.45 kilowatt hours of phantom loads per day. Nationally, phantom loads make up about six per cent of our entire residential electricity consumption.*
-
The US department of Energy states that “75% of the electricity used to
power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off.
This can be avoided by unplugging the appliance or using a power strip."
- The only way to truly turn appliances "off" is to physically or electrically unplug them from its outlet. aren't in use.
Easy Things You Can Do
- Borrow a kill-a-watt meter from the Home Greening Kit to help you decide which components to unplug, then unplug them! You may be surprised by what a little investigating will reveal about the phantom loads in your home.
- For
bundled devices like your TV, DVD player, and DVR, or computer,
monitor, and printer, plug them into the same power strip and then turn
off the power strip when the devices aren't in use.
*Source: Positive Energy Solar