Energy Vampire
Do you have an energy vampire in your house?
Standby power is the energy used by some products when they are turned off but still plugged into an outlet. While this standby power sometimes provides useful functions such as remote control, clock displays, and timers, in other cases it is simply wasted power as a result of leaving an electronic device or power adapter plugged in. The devices causing this waste are referred to as energy vampires because these products are slowing sucking energy from your house while not providing any useful function!
The amount of energy used by products when they are in standby mode is high. The average home spends $100 per year to power devices while they are off (or in standby mode).
How can you slay the energy vampires in your house?
Look for the ENERGY STAR logo when shopping.
Use the ENERGY STAR power management settings on your computer and monitor.
Use a power strip as a central “turn off” point when you are done using stuff.
Unplug your chargers: cell phone chargers, camera chargers, battery chargers or power adapters, etc.
Wendy Dew is the Environmental Education and Outreach Coordinator for Region 8 in Denver, Colorado
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
These are all great suggestions. I did not know of the “energy vampires until recently and once I looked around I had 20 items plugged in just wasting energy.