How to reduce vampire power consumption

Eco-friendly chargers use zero stand-by power and shut off the power supply to a device when it’s fully charged,

Would you ever leave the door ajar in winter, or leave the tap running in the bathroom?

Probably not. 

Nobody wants to waste water or heat. But what we all do without thinking is let our electronics sip away on power while they’re not being used.

Computers, TV’s, DVD players, stereos, your cable box, all suck power when they not in use (off or on standby) powering clocks and other display screens. Microwaves and other small appliances do the same and even our cell phone chargers keep drawing electricity long after our devices are fully charged.  

Because households have more electronics than ever before, this power sipping (sometimes called vampire power) has become a significant global problem.

It’s estimated that this power loss accounts for 5-10 percent of your household power bill and standby power loss accounts for 1% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. (To put it in perspective, air travel accounts for two percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions.)

The worst offender: a plasma TV. According to the US Department of Energy a plasma TV can use $130 a year in standby power. If you leave your computer on 24 hours a day all year long it could cost you up to $120 a year.

According to an eco-living publication distributed by Scotiabank, the average household could save between $57 and $114 per year by eliminating phantom power loss.

Eliminating or at least reducing phantom power loss isn’t complicated.

• Investing in a couple of power bars will pretty much do the trick. Chances are your electronics are clustered in a couple of places in your home, making it easy to plug several into a power strip at once.
• Just remember to turn off the power strip when the devices aren’t in use and keep it in an accessible spot so it’s easy to reach the switch.
• If you’re shopping for electronics or for small appliances look for those that are Energy Star certified since they use less standby power.

I used to be in the habit of charging my phone before I crawled into bed each night. It probably took less than an hour to fully charge but would be plugged in until morning, sipping away on power. To eliminate that extra power usage I now plug it in when I get out of bed in the morning. I unplug the charger when I’m finished since it’ll sip away on power even without a device attached.

If you’re in the habit of charging your mobile devise at night (phone, lap top, tablet) look for an eco-friendly charger. These chargers use zero stand-by power and shut off the power supply to a device when it’s fully charged, so you can juice up overnight and not worry about wasting power. Look for the GreenZero brand charger.