Vampire power, also referred to as phantom load or idle current, is when an electrical device sucks energy from the socket even while turned off. A study done by the EPA and other environmental agencies have estimated that vampire power can add 10% to a monthly energy bill.
With the shift towards battery-powered devices phantom loads have become an even larger concern. Most people leave their phone and iPod chargers plugged in day and night, whether actually charging a device or not. These chargers draw idle current even when there is nothing connected to them.
So when you unplug your phone from its charging cradle, unplug the cradle as well. Doing this will both save energy and save cash. You can make it easy to unplug multiple devices by connecting them all to a power strip, then turning off the switch (or unplugging the strip).
Computer printers and TVs can draw more power than a fluorescent light bulb, even when they’re not being used. Unplugging these devices does more than save energy. Adding an extra step to using your printer may cause you to think twice before printing unnecessary documents, saving ink and paper. Having to stand up to plug in the TV before using it instead of just picking up the remote from your couch may be enough to help you break the boob-tube habit, enabling you to recover those precious minutes that could go towards something more productive, such as a hobby or exercise.
If the extra work is a buzzkill, you can invest in “smart strips,” power strips smart enough to sense inactivity in the circuit, and kill power to save electricity. The image above shows one of these “smart strips” that turns all outlets to “on” whenever the device in the blue slot calls for power. Alternatively, you can buy a Kill-a-Watt, a tool that gauges how much energy a device uses, to find out which of your gadgets use the most power. Armed with this knowledge you can then focus your effort on rooting out the biggest vampires in the house. With these options to choose from you get both convenience and power savings.
