Reclaim Energy from Vampire Electronics

This is a subject that really irks me because it is so overtly wasteful. It is shocking, shocking, how much energy is wasted while our house is seemingly ‘turned off.’

Some studies have claimed that vampire power accounts to, on average, 7-15% of our energy bills and, more alarmingly, results in $4 billion in lost electricity in the US alone. The U.S. Department of Energy has estimated that by 2010, standby power consumption will account for 20% of utility billst. Twenty percent!!! and here we are facing a mounting energy crisis.

You would think that when you leave the house turning off the heat, the fans, the tvs, the computers would be enough. We may think these items are turned off, many appliances when turned off simply revert to standby mode continuing to consume energy while in sleep mode. The ‘stand-by’ mode was introduced as a time saving option so we don’t have to be inconvenienced by long start up times. And chargers, even when no longer charging, continue to consume energy.

I have been trying to no avail to figure out how to turn off the clocks on my stove and microwave as I don’t need them on all of the time.

On an aside–why do my coffee maker, dvd player, stove and microwave even have clocks on them? Why? because it is a cheap add-on feature. I now leave the coffee maker unplugged, but have been defeated by the microwave and stove clocks–any suggestions???

But I digress, here are some tips to keep in mind if you are trying to save on your electric bill or to reduce your carbon footprint:

1. Put all of your chargers (phone, i-pod, digital camera, etc) on a power strip and turn the strip ‘off’ when not charging–power strips are also a great idea for computer accessories like printers and scanners that do not need to be on all of the time! Even if you are using your computer at the time. (check out these Smart Strip Power Strip or the WattStopper)

2. Shut down your computer at night–that old adage that it takes more energy to start up a computer than to leave it on is just not true.

3. Unplug electronics when not in use–this includes the alarm clock in your guest room, or even an infrequently used dvd player or television. Plug items in only when you plan to use them. That Plasma TV can end up costing you $160 a year in active standby mode! (Click here to see what other everyday appliances are costing you)

4. Unplug your rechargeable battery accessories when they are done charging. This includes your electric toothbrushes! (I just did went through my office and unplugged, 2 drills and 3 drummels that had been charging since I started working here-read: consuming unneccesary energy since 2000!!)

5. Reduce the number of appliances, gadgets and gizmos you own. Even cordless phones use energy when not in use. So consider cutting down on the number of phones in your house.

6. Buy Energy Star Approved appliances – they consider standby power use as when rating appliances.

The good news–word of vampire electricity is out and technology is trying to keep up by using new transformers and converters that will cut down on the amount of energy consumed in stand-by mode.