Although all the little ghosts and goblins have gotten their fill of candy and have gone away until next year, there may still be vampires lurking in your house.
Don’t worry; they’re not the kind that sucks blood. These vampires suck electricity and cost you money.
Unfortunately, almost every home has at least one resident vampire driving up your energy costs. Even when household appliances are turned off, most are still using electricity.
Appliances are either in passive standby mode (the clock on the microwave is still ticking) or active standby mode (the VCR is off, but programmed to record something). Passive and active standby mode are responsible for 4 to 5 percent of the energy consumption in an average home.
This translates to 52 billion kilowatt hours per year in the United States alone, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. One kilowatt hour is equal to a 100-watt light bulb on for 10 hours.
The average household spends $100 per year to power devices when they are off.
What is an energy vampire? It is any electrical device that does not completely power down, but goes into a sleep or standby mode. Assuming 11 cents per kilowatt hour, you would be surprised how much electricity is sucked out annually.
A microwave oven uses 35.0 kWh ($3.85); a home office (computer, LCD monitor and printer) uses 446.8 kWh ($49.15); a gaming console uses 233.9 kWh ($25.73); and a plasma TV uses 1452.4 kWh ($159.76). Other examples are surround sound systems, cable and satellite TV boxes, and any items in your house that maintain a clock. If a device has an external power supply (doesn’t run solely on batteries), has a remote control or a continuous display, charges batteries, or has any combination of these things, it is an energy vampire.
You are probably wondering how to slay these vampires. You don’t need to be Buffy the Vampire Slayer and you don’t need a wooden stake. There are three simple steps that you can take:
- Unplug appliances and electronics, especially cell phone and tablet chargers and video game systems when not in use.
- Use power strips that will turn off all appliances (TVs, cable/satellite boxes and VCR/DVD players) or electronics (all computer equipment) plugged into them.
- Turn off routers, printers and other peripheral computer equipment when not in use.
With the holiday season fast approaching, there are other opportunities to save electricity. Even though the initial investment may be more, LED lighting uses 85 percent less electricity than a standard incandescent mini-light. Timers can also be used to ensure that lights are turned off and not left on all night.
While these things seem small, minimal efforts can have a large impact over time in the cost of supplying energy to your home. Both electric energy suppliers in our area, AEP Ohio and South Central Power, offer energy audit services along with other energy-saving ideas on their websites.
Contact your energy provider at the number provided on your monthly invoice for information or visit their websites.
AEPOhio: www.aepohio.com
South Central Power: www.southcentralpower.com
By Chad Lucht, CPSEC, Senior Urban Specialist, Fairfield SWCD
