Your annual electric bill is hundreds of dollars more than it should be. Here are some standby power appliances and electronics that you should probably unplug when not in use.
Reading this article will help you save hundreds or thousands of dollars a year from your electrical bill. How? 10% of the average electric bill in the United States is for appliances that aren’t even being used. These poorly made “vampire power appliances” use electricity (aka Standby Power) even when they are turned off or in standby mode.
Here are some of the biggest vampire appliances in the average home and how you can slay them and stop their standby power use consumption of residential electricity.
Video Game Consoles
Do you own an Xbox or Sony PlayStation? Gaming consoles are very power-thirsty vampire electronics. Gaming consoles can cost you $65+ a year each, even when they are turned off. As a general rule of thumb, you should unplug their power source when not in use.
- Annual vampire power cost: $65+
Flat Screen TVs
Your flat-screen TVs are probably the biggest vampire power devices in your home. Even when not in use they can pull a phantom load of electricity that can cost you $150 or more a year. If you have TVs in rooms that you don’t often use, like guest rooms, then unplug them to stop their standby power consumption.
- Annual vampire power cost: ~$150
DVRs & Cable TV Boxes
Your DVR and cable box aren’t as bad as your TV, however, they are probably costing you about $10 each per year in wasted electrical power. But make sure that you weigh the pros and cons before you pull the plug on these items.
Your DVR obviously won’t record while unplugged. And your cable box might take a few minutes to reboot every time you plug it in. One solution might be to just unplug vampire electronics like cable boxes before you leave for an extended period of time, like a vacation.
- Annual vampire power cost: $10+ each.
Air Conditioners
If you have a window-mounted air conditioner, then make sure you unplug it during the winter months. Even if you aren’t using it, your window air conditioner can use electricity while it’s in standby mode. The amount of power that an air conditioner might consume will vary between models, but you can use an electric power meter to find out.
Desktop & Laptop Computers
Double-check the energy-saving settings on your computer. Your desktop can cost you $35+ and your laptop $20+ in vampire power a year. If your computer or its external power supply feels warm even when you aren’t using it, then it’s probably leaking electricity.
If you have a desktop, turn it off when not in use. Or at the very least, make sure that the monitor is off. Admiring your pretty flying toasters screensaver each time you walk by your computer may not be worth the cost of electricity. Disable screensavers and make sure all of your computers have sleep mode enabled.
Both your computer and monitor should go into energy-saving mode several minutes after being left idle.
- Annual vampire power cost: $35+ for desktop computers, $20+ for laptops
Phone Chargers
Most households will have a variety of chargers for tablets and smartphones. But chargers can cost you about $5 each annually even when they aren’t charging your electrical devices. It’s convenient, but also costly, to leave these vampire electronics plugged in all the time. Pull the plug on phone chargers when not in use.
- Annual vampire power cost: ~$5 each
Printers
Most households only use their printers a few times a month. Even so, plugging and unplugging your printer every time that you want to use it is extremely inconvenient. One potential solution is to optimize the built-in energy efficiency and power-saving features of your printer. Many newer consumer electronics with Energy Star certifications, including printers, will have sleep modes that use less power when not in use.
- Annual vampire power cost: ~$5 each
Kitchen Appliances & Other Misc Vampire Power Items
Your kitchen probably has a variety of appliances like a microwave oven, blender, coffee maker, and toaster plugged in right now. Leaving all of these appliances, even new appliances with Energy Star ratings, always plugged in will cost you about $5 each per year.
Elsewhere in your home, like the basement, playroom, or garage, you might have drill chargers, DVD players, clocks that no one uses, or rechargeable kids’ toys. Unplug them all. Anything with remote controls, lights/indicators, or a digital clock is probably sucking vampire power.
- Annual vampire power cost: ~$5 each
Simple Ways To Slay Vampire Appliances That Use Low Standby Power
You can reduce your energy consumption and save a lot of money simply by unplugging vampire appliances that suck standby power when they are not in use. But all of that repeated plugging and unplugging is very inconvenient. Here are some better solutions.
Energy Usage Meter: Not all appliances are the same. Your flat-screen TV actually might not be wastefully guzzling wattmeters. One way to know for sure is by doing a power measurement with an energy use meter ($15-30 on Amazon).
Electricity usage monitors help you track your energy efficiency and power consumption and determine energy-saving opportunities. Belkin makes an excellent electricity meter that shows you exactly how much electricity your electronic devices cost you per month.
Advanced Power Strips: An “advanced power strip” ($20+ on Amazon) is different from a regular power strip. They cut power flow to idle devices. It’s a good idea to get advanced power strips for locations with multiple vampire power devices like your TV. This way you can plug your flat-screen TV and gaming consoles into one strip. Be sure to read the FAQs for a power strip before you buy one for more information.
Power Switch: Much more convenient than juggling plugs, a power switch ($6+ on Amazon) makes it easy to turn off individual appliances like coffee makers when not in use. These switches are small and barely noticeable.
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Frank Wilson is a retired teacher with over 30 years of combined experience in the education, small business technology, and real estate business. He now blogs as a hobby and spends most days tinkering with old computers. Wilson is passionate about tech, enjoys fishing, and loves drinking beer.
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