Whether your electricity bills keep rising, or you just want to get better at reducing your home energy use, it might be time to check your house for energy vampires. Not to be confused with the supernatural kind of energy vampires, we’re talking about appliances and electronics that draw power when they’re plugged in — even when they aren’t in use.  

According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), these appliances could be costing you up to $200 per year in unnecessary energy expenses.  

Let’s take a look at what energy vampires are, which household devices use the most vampire energy, and what you can do to stop them from sucking the life out of your energy budget. 

What Is Vampire Energy? 

Vampire energy, also called phantom energy or standby power, is the electricity that some devices use when they’re turned off but still plugged in to a power outlet. The most common culprits are electronics and other “smart” devices that have a built-in clock or digital display, but other appliances can be energy vampires too.  

In many cases, electricity continues to flow through an adaptor that turns AC power into DC power, even when the device is fully charged or isn’t in use.  

Estimates vary, but the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), puts the price of vampire power at $165 per household or $19 billion nationwide every year.  

And this isn’t just a problem for our personal power bills. Energy vampires can also be an issue for small businesses with computers, water coolers, and other appliances continuing to draw power after everyone has gone home for the day.  

In fact, 1% of global carbon emissions can be attributed to standby energy — or 44 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in the United States alone.  

Why Does Vampire Energy Happen? 

Energy Vampire Remote Control Imagesource

If governments, businesses, and electric companies know that vampire energy is a serious issue, why haven’t they put a stop to it by now? While new technologies can help us reduce vampire energy, it’s virtually impossible to eliminate entirely. Here are some reasons why vampire energy might be happening in your home:  

  • Your device has a continuous display. Does your oven, microwave, TV, or thermostat have a screen that stays on all the time? Then it’s going to draw power even when it isn’t actually in use. 
  • Your device has an internal clock. Even if an appliance doesn’t have a visible display, it may still have an internal clock that it uses to tell the time. For example, your coffee maker needs a clock so it knows when to turn on in the morning. 
  • Your device needs to monitor the temperature. Some appliances need to be able to tell how hot or cold it is. Your thermostat or refrigerator wouldn’t function properly if it wasn’t monitoring the temperature continuously. 
  • Your device needs to be able to receive a signal. Even when your TV is “off” it’s still capable of receiving a signal from your remote control. The same applies to other kinds of electronics, like gaming consoles and Bluetooth speakers. 
  • Your device is light-activated. Devices that sense light, such as an automatic night light, may also be responsible for drawing phantom power. 

How Can You Stop Vampire Energy? 

Although it would be great if we could eliminate energy vampires entirely, the reality is a little more complicated. Some devices need to draw power around the clock in order to perform the functions that they’re designed for.  

Unplugging every single appliance every time you leave the room is impractical, and some devices, like your refrigerator, can’t be unplugged at all.  

Still, we can reduce the amount of electricity our appliances use by choosing the most energy-efficient devices and following practical energy conservation tips. 

What Appliances Use the Most Vampire Energy? 

Energy Vampires Appliancessource

If you want to reduce the amount of energy you use in your home, then it helps to know which appliances are the worst energy vampires. Of course, the exact amount of energy a device uses will depend on how old it is, how often you use it, its Energy Star rating, and other factors.   

Still, on the whole, these devices use the most vampire energy:  

  • Televisions. TVs can be some of the most energy-sucking devices in your home – especially modern “smart” TVs with all the bells and whistles. That’s because they come with power-hungry features like satellite TV, Wi-Fi connectivity, DVR capabilities, and more. They use energy even when turned off. 
  • Computers. Computers don’t use nearly as much energy as TVs, especially if they’re smaller devices such as laptops and tablets. But their chargers can be major energy vampires, since they’ll keep converting energy even when the battery is fully charged or the device isn’t plugged in. Be sure to unplug the charger from the outlet to avoid using phantom power. 
  • Refrigerators. Refrigerators are major energy vampires, but there’s not much you can do about that except to buy one that’s more energy-efficient. Unless you’re going on vacation, unplugging them is more trouble than it’s worth. 
  • Thermostats. Your thermostat, air conditioner, and hot water heater use a lot of energy, but you can’t turn them off. Your best bet is to choose a smart thermostat and program it so it doesn’t use more power than necessary. 
  • Electric toothbrush. Because of its small size, this may not seem like a major energy vampire, but if you leave it plugged in all the time, it can be. Once your toothbrush is fully charged, remove it from the charger and unplug it. 
  • Kitchen appliances. Microwaves, coffee makers, and other small appliances don’t use a lot of power individually, but together it can add up. Choose items without a clock or digital display to reduce their power consumption. 

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Which Devices Don’t Use Phantom Power? 

The aforementioned list might seem long, but not every device that uses electricity uses vampire energy. Plain old lamps and lightbulbs that don’t have any “smart” features don’t draw phantom power, so it’s enough to turn them off when you aren’t using them.  

Likewise, old-school toasters and electric kettles that don’t have a digital display are less likely to use phantom power than newer models.  

Still, it’s a good idea to plug them into a power strip, that way you can easily turn them on and off without having to overthink it. 

How Can You Reduce Vampire Energy in Your Home? 

Energy Vampire House Home Use Being Measuredsource

Once you’ve gone through your house and taken note of all of the appliances that use vampire energy, what can you do to stop them? Fortunately, there are several ways to reduce the impact of energy vampires on your electricity bill: 

Unplug appliances when they aren’t in use 

The most effective way to reduce vampire energy is to disconnect them from the power source entirely. After all, appliances can’t use electricity if they’re not plugged in. If it’s too much of a hassle to unplug devices that you use every day, at least unplug items that you only use occasionally, such as an electric razor or blender.  

And remember: chargers need to be unplugged too. Even if they feel cool to the touch and don’t seem to be using any energy, they probably are! 

Use a smart power strip 

The next best thing is to plug your devices into power strips. The NREL has this handy list of different types of power strips that are suitable for different rooms of the house.  

For example, you could use a power strip that’s on a timer and turns off every night, or a remote-controlled power strip that’s easy to turn off when you leave the house. You can even find power strips that can sense activity and turn on and off automatically. 

Do a home energy audit 

A home energy audit is a service in which a professional auditor comes to your home to assess your energy use and make recommendations. Although a detailed energy audit can cost up to $400, it can help you save money in the long run.  

Most audits focus on things like air leaks, ventilation, and insulation in order to improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling system. But an energy auditor can also help you choose better lighting options and more energy-efficient electronics.  

If you don’t want to spend money on a professional audit, you can buy a plug-in energy meter to calculate your energy usage yourself. 

Choose appliances without always-on displays 

These days, more and more devices have digital displays, and sometimes you can’t do without them. But how many clocks do you really need in your kitchen? If you can, buy appliances that don’t have unnecessary LED lights or always-on displays. Blinking or glowing lights are often a sign that something is an energy vampire. 

Keep devices in good working order 

Finally, ensure that your devices are all working properly. If your electronic devices are unable to hold a charge, make weird noises when they’re plugged in, or are hot to the touch, then there may be a problem with the battery or converter.  

For larger appliances like air conditioners and refrigerators, choose models with a high Energy Star rating so they don’t use more power than they need to.  

Shop Around for the Best Energy Prices 

Energy Vampire Pricing Lady Smiles with Lower Cost Energysource

Personal energy usage is just one component of your electricity costs. If you’ve already gone through your home to eliminate energy vampires and your electricity bill is still too high, then you may need to shop around to get better rates from another provider.  

With Just Energy, you can choose a fixed-rate plan so you don’t have to worry about your electricity bill increasing due to changes in supply or demand. You’ll pay a fixed rate per kilowatt-hour, so you know that your energy costs are based on your actual energy usage, and not on the ups and downs of the marketplace. Simply enter your ZIP code to find a plan that’s right for you.  

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