There’s a unique thief on the loose. Their goal: steal electricity when you’re not looking. We’re talking about appliances and devices that continue using electricity even when they’re not being used. The culprits may claim up to 20 percent of your annual electricity use. Knowing the biggest offenders, you can unplug them when you’re not using them and help conserve electricity.
Bricks and wall warts
Two easy ways to identify an energy vampire is by the shape of the cord that plugs into the outlet. Wall warts are anything that have an oversized plug that goes into the wall. Think of cell phone or laptop chargers as the most obvious examples. Bricks have a large, rectangular box in the middle of the cord. They’re often the cords from video game consoles and cable boxes. Although they look different, bricks and wall warts suck energy if you leave them plugged in when you’re not using them. Thankfully, they’re also relatively easy to unplug and plug back in when you need them again.
Remote-ready appliances
These devices are the kind that are in a constant stand-by state. They’re waiting for you to switch them on, often with just the push of a button. They seem innocent enough, but take in electricity as they are at rest. This category of vampires includes obvious devices like TVs and stereos, but also ones you wouldn’t commonly think of like garage door openers.
Discreet thieves
Appliances sneaking into this category seem harmless, but they’re guilty of taking the highest amount of power when not in use. Your furnace and air conditioner are at the top of this list. They’re always using electricity to maintain the ideal temperature in your home. Even coffee makers and electric toothbrushes slide into this group, taking almost as much power when not in use as they do when working.
Control energy theft
In addition to unplugging guilty, vampire appliances when not in use, there are other ways to conserve energy, including:
- Using power strips — this allows you to switch off vampire appliances without having to unplug everything.
- Utilizing sleep mode — when devices go “to sleep” they’re automatically in an energy-saving mode.
- Opting for energy efficiency — as old electronics need replacing, consider purchasing a more technologically advanced, energy-efficient option for improved electricity consumption.
Conserving electricity by not allowing vampire devices to win is just one way you can do something small to make a big impact on the environment. Continue watching out for those vampire devices.