Phantom Energy
Are Energy "Phantoms" stealing your money?
Did you know that many of your appliances are actually on when they’re off? These sneaky little phantoms live inside many of your appliances and are quietly using energy even after you hit the "off" button.
Who are these phantoms and where do they live?
Many people are unaware that common household appliances utilize timers or memory chips to keep everything programmed correctly. Take a quick look around your home. How many appliances such as microwave ovens, DVD or CD Players, stereos, or coffeemakers do you have plugged in that have clocks? Your "instant on" TV houses a phantom which helps to turn it on immediately without needing to warm up. The same is true for computers, monitors, printers or game consoles. All of these appliances have a little phantom living inside them using energy 24 hours a day.
There are other phantoms lurking around your home that are not quite as visible. Any box-like transformer for an electronic device, such as a wireless phone, MP3 player or digital camera, uses energy even when nothing is plugged into it. Check it out! Is that little box warm? This is where the phantom lives, quietly using energy and costing you money.
Although the amount of energy each of these individual phantoms uses may be small, added together the costs may surprise you. There may be twenty or more phantoms living in the average home, which may be costing the homeowner hundreds of dollars each year.
Take control!
So how do we evict these phantoms from our homes? Look around and identify where the phantoms are living. Click the following link for a list of typical appliances and devices that contain energy phantoms.
Although it may not be practical to eliminate every one of them, it may be possible to reduce their number. Unplug those phone chargers after your phone is fully charged. Is it possible to put some of your electronics such as stereos or computers on a power strip that can be turned off when not in use? Every little bit helps. By sending these energy phantoms packing, you can save energy and money!
The more you know about home energy consumption, the easier it is to conserve energy and lower your electric bills. Check out more potential savings on our appliance usage guide.
