Tricks for Defeating Energy Vampires in Your Home

Did you realize that energy vampires are lurking in your home all year? An energy vampire is a device that continues to use energy and drain power, even when it is turned off. Vampire loads are responsible for approximately 5 percent of the energy consumed in the United States, tallying more than $3 billion each year. Defeat energy vampires with a few simple tricks.

• Turn off your lights and walk through your home looking for standby lights. These lights indicate that energy is being drained even when the device is not in use.
• Once you have identified your energy vampires, unplug infrequently used devices such as coffee makers, scanners, printers or shredders in your home.
• Also, remember to unplug devices once they are fully charged, such as phones or electric razors.
• Plug all vampires into one power strip and simply unplug that strip at night. For convenience, you can purchase smart power plugs that can be programmed to turn off nightly.

We encourage you to take time to hunt for the powerdraining vampires in your home and make a plan to save energy and money this year.