June 27, 2008

Take action against vampires lurking in your home

By BRITTANY PSURNY

Do you have vampires lurking in your home? It’s very likely that you do if you own any sort of electronics. Vampire power is a recent term that is being used more frequently as we become more aware of our energy consumption. It is also referred to as “phantom power” or “standby power”.

Whatever you call it, it means your electronics, though they appear to be turned off, may still be sucking power from your outlets while plugged in. Any device that has a continuous light that stays on even when not in use is a source of vampire power. Electronics such as battery and cell phone chargers, DVD players, VCRs, LCD and plasma screens, and computers are all sucking energy even when not in use.

The average American household consumes 1.45 kilowatt hours of phantom energy every day, tacking an extra 5 to 10 percent on to our monthly energy bills. This wasteful energy costs the United States approximately $3 billion a year, and it is on the increase.

What can you do about this? Simply unplug your electronics when not in use or plug these devices into power strips and switch the entire strip off. There are even some power strips available that sense when devices go into standby mode and shut themselves off. When they sense the devices becoming active again, they turn back on. Another option is to buy energy saving devices that have an off switch instead of an automatic standby mode. Many Energy Star devices have this option.

According to the US Department of Energy, a plasma screen TV in standby mode uses 1,452 kilowatt hours a year, costing you an extra $159 annually. In contrast, an LCD screen in standby only costs you an extra $2.51 a year. The Department of Energy also states that a game console such as a Playstation or Xbox may tack an additional $26 on to your yearly bill, just by being plugged in. Keeping your desktop computer plugged in adds approximately $35 and about $16 more for a laptop. It costs about $19 a year to keep both your VCR and DVD players plugged in.

Being conscious of the energy your home is wasting is not only a financial decision but an environmental one. The International Energy Agency estimates vampire power is responsible for one percent of total carbon dioxide emissions. In comparison, global air travel accounts for 2-3% of carbon dioxide emissions.

Researching how much power your devices use a month can help you discover how inefficient your electronics actually are and help you adjust accordingly. There are many inexpensive devices on the market that can monitor the power used by your appliances.

“To eliminate vampire power in your home, you have to be more aware of what is on and consuming power. Then you have to make a decision about what you are comfortable shutting off and how much money you want to save,” said Brian Carlin, Electric Superintendent at Bryan Municipal Utilities.

The key to fighting vampire power is simply making a conscious effort to remember to unplug your gadgets. Killing a vampire is easier than you think!