vampireblogVampire Power

Are you aware of the “Vampire Power” being used in your home/office? Vampire Power is the power that devices use while in standby/sleep mode. Many electronics and devices draw a small amount of power for memory purposes; while others just waste energy trying to constantly recharge a device. If your device has a LED or other light on it, chances are it is drawing power even when you think it is off. The average home has about 40 devices that are sucking power long after you go to bed. With a number like that, there is room for improvement. Vampire Energy use accounts for over 10% of U.S. Energy use to a sum of nearly $10 billion a year.

Common Energy Vampires in the home:

  • Laptop/Netbook chargers
  • TVs
  • VCRs, DVD players, DVRs,
  • Speakers and Audio Receivers
  • Phone chargers, answering machines
  • Printers, Scanners, Fax machines
  • Routers
  • iPod and MP3 Chargers
  • XBOX, Playstation, Wii, and other gaming systems
  • PSP, Nintendo DS, and portable gaming chargers
  • Electronic toys and handheld devices

There are several ways you can attack the Vampire Power in your house such as:

  • Unplug devices not in use. Power can’t be sucked when a device is not plugged in.
  • Use Smart power strips. There are now products on the market stop energy use to devices when they are turned off or done charging. There are also power strips that use one outlet to control other outlets so when you shut down your computer, your monitor, speakers and other devices turn off too.
  • Buy Energy Star. While this won’t stop the flow of Vampire Power, it will reduce it because Energy Star Devices factors in a devices standby power.

Take back the energy your devices are stealing while they seem asleep and save money while helping save the environment.

For more information on Vampire Power and tips check out: http://www.vampirepowersucks.com/Default.aspx

For some great products to stop Vampire Power check out:

http://www.igo.com/Green/icat/green

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=a9_sc_1?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Asmart+power+strips&keywords=smart+power+strips&ie=UTF8&qid=1264115565