Finally, after many years of being known of only by extremely frugal people and energy researchers, phantom loads or vampire power draws are making headline news. These silent thieves of energy consume up to seventy five percent of all the energy used by home electronics, according to Department of Energy research.
What Are Phantom Loads or Vampire Power Draws?
Almost every home in North America has some kind of device that creates a phantom load. You can turn off everything in your home but you will still see your electric meter creep forward, costing you money. Things like DVD players and flat screenTV’s often draw a small, yet significant amount of standby power. For a device such as a cable box it can be as much as fifty watts. That’s about the same as leaving a standard incandescent bulb on all of the time. Phantom loads may account for as much as ten percent of your home’s energy use.
How To Get Rid Of Them
Phantom loads can be easily eliminated by using a power strip. Power strips that feature a switch, so that you can turn off everything that is plugged into them work best. You can identify phantom loads by using a power monitor such as the Kill a Watt. The Kill a Watt shows how much anapplance uses when in the on and off position. New legislation being proposed will force manufacturers of electronics to reduce the amont of vampire power that they draw. In the meantime you can simply unplug them, or put them on a power strip.
How Much Will You Save By Eliminating Phantom Loads?
Lets assume that you have ten devices in your home that draw a phantom load. If the average total phantom load is 200 watts, which is not unrealistic for home electronics, and the electronic devices sit idle for fifteen hours a day, you are looking at a total phantom load of 3000 watts or 3 kilowatt hours a day. Assuming you pay twelve cents per kilowatt hour this is costing you $10.80 per month. You can see how quickly a $5.00 power strip will pay for itself. Keep in mind that the phantom loads in your home may be even worse than this. Use a power monitor and try and find all of them that you can. Look in out of the way places for things like old intercom systems or door chimes in the attic, car chargers in the garage, and any other device that is plugged in. Unplug everything and see if your meter still turns. Some phantom loads may have to be left alone, such as wired smoke detectors, but most can be eliminated. For more ways to find the hidden energy wasters in your home see How To Save Energy
