Electricity consumption within homes is a pervasive aspect of modern living. With numerous appliances and devices constantly drawing energy, phantom power is ever in use. From kitchen appliances like refrigerators and microwaves to gaming consoles and cell phone chargers, the list of everyday items using standby power or vampire power goes on, and on, and on.
The Effects of Consuming Vampire Electricity
The continuous draw of vampire electronics contributes significantly to energy bills and environmental impact. Idle-load electricity alone plays a large role in greenhouse gas emissions for the average American consumer. Not to be confused with Energy Vampires a la Colin Robinson of What We Do In The Shadows, vampire devices make a huge impact on our home's utility consumption, resulting in higher electricity costs.
"Vampire devices are plugged-in devices left in the socket when not in use, specifically ones that we don’t realize consume large amounts of energy. As a result, they significantly impact energy bills—even in standby or “off” modes," warns Michael Lotfy Gierges, EVP of Home & Distribution, Schneider Electric. "Examples of vampire devices include TVs, mobile device chargers, coffee machines and games consoles. Thankfully, consumers are becoming aware of these energy suckers and starting to change their habits to save on their bills and energy use."
Reduce the Cost of Vampire Energy: How to Save Money on Energy Bills
Vampire energy costs affect your annual cost of electricity and your household's annual carbon emissions. Reduce your monthly electricity bills by taking a look at the biggest culprits of energy usage around your home. Modern technology offers solutions that help. "Homeowners often look for the path of least resistance when it comes to introducing new technology and new habits into their daily lives," shares Gierges. Keeping things plugged in is convenient, but expensive, and it uses tons of carbon dioxide. "Anyone looking to improve their home with green technology can look at it from a lens of how big of a change they want to see."
1. Make Small Changes Throughout Your Home
Technology exists to make your home more energy efficient, reduce your bills and lessen your carbon footprint. "Some accessible energy-saving habits you can build into everyday practice include installing LED lights, lowering the thermostat by a few degrees when possible, and unplugging or keeping all major electrical devices on a timer, especially common culprits like game consoles and TVs," shares Gierges. Take steps to minimize unnecessary energy drain and promote more efficient energy usage in households. Little by little, you can reduce electricity usage caused by these phantom loads.
- Unplug chargers, including laptop chargers. "Even when your chargers and adapters are not actively charging a device, they consume energy," highlights Bruce Stewart, CEO and President of Perch Energy. "Be sure to unplug your laptop, cell phone, Kindle, and electric toothbrush chargers when not in use."
- Unplug hair dryers and hair straighteners.
- Unplug small, countertop appliances like air fryers, toasters, and espresso machines. "The coffee maker may be an essential part of your morning routine, but it does not have to stay plugged in all the time," reminds Stewart. "After making your coffee, unplug the machine."
- Use smart power strips with switches.
- Put computers and laptops in sleep mode when not in use. "If you are like many households, you probably rely on a laptop and periodically use a desktop computer," notes Stewart. "Power down your desktop computer and unplug the device. While you're at it, unplug the printer too, which is a notorious vampire energy culprit."
- Invest in smart plugs.
- Upgrade to LED nightlights. You can also unplug them during the day. As Stewart shares, "While a night light is undoubtedly necessary for safety in some rooms, it doesn't need to run during the day. Unplug night lights to prevent unnecessary power consumption."
- Upgrade to Energy Star appliances.
- Switch electronic devices to standby mode or eco mode (even though both are still an energy draw). "If you aren't home, you aren't around to play your favorite video game," reminds Stewart. "Even when you aren't home, your device will stay in "standby" mode. Unplug your gaming console when not in use."
2. Use Tracking Systems
Homeowners can stay apprised of energy waste by implementing a tracking system. "Energy monitoring technology allows users to view where energy consumption is happening; our data shows just by seeing where energy is used helps to reduce energy bills by 8%," shares Gierges. "Innovations such as the Wiser Energy Monitor can be accessed via an easy-to-use app so homeowners can get a full home view of their energy use in real-time, as well as enable control of energy in the home. This includes being notified of and turning off pricey appliances if accidentally left on or making sure connected devices only consume energy during lower tariff periods."
3. Embrace the New Energy Landscape
Make your home future-ready today. "Alternative power sources—solar, battery, and EV—can help reduce overall energy consumption costs by up to 50%, along with an almost equivalent reduction in CO2 emissions too. By equipping your home with solar and battery back-up you not only produce and store your own renewable energy, but also make your home energy more resilient in the face of power outages," shares Gierges. To completely electrify, many consumers will need to upgrade their home's electrical panel. He adds, "Assets like the Square D Energy Center help homeowners fully reap the benefits of these installations by making integration into their home secure and easy."
Rewiring America also launched its Personal Electrification Planner, which helps homeowners generate a personalized plan based on their unique home, lifestyle, and priorities. The planner’s powerful data model crunches dozens of factors and hundreds of home types to create each plan, adding up the individual cost and energy savings, incentive and rebate eligibility, and climate impact of key electric upgrades to your home and vehicle. In less than five minutes, the tool can produce a unique home-electrification plan to help you design a plan for your home that works with your budget and goals.
“In interviewing homeowners, we heard over and over again that people learned a lot of information often the hard way, as they took on these projects to go electric,” said Tom Mercer, Head of Product at Rewiring America. “Our goal was to develop a set of resources that could help homeowners front load these learnings, make smarter choices, and give people a better idea of what the journey could look like for their specific home. The Personal Electrification Planner really gives homeowners that advantage.”
Community solar is another opportunity — and even renters can enroll. "You can save between 5% and 15% off electricity costs, depending on your state, energy usage, and other factors," highlights Stewart. "Community solar allows residents of all types to subscribe to a local solar farm and receive a discount on their electricity bills. It’s a great way to support renewable energy generation in your state and save money – no need to install panels on your roof or worry about maintenance costs."
