What is vampire energy?

Standby power, also called vampire power, vampire draw, phantom load, or leaking electricity is the energy used by some products when they are turned off but still plugged into a power/wall outlet. While this standby power sometimes provides useful functions such as remote control, clock displays, and timers, in other cases it is simply wasted power as a result of leaving an electronic device or power adapter plugged in.

You may have an energy vampire (or, more likely, several) in your home, and don't know it. Even if you turn off a device--such as by pressing the Off button on an HDTV's remote control--it is still consuming some electricity.

This is referred to as vampire energy (or phantom power), as it secretly sucks power while adding to your monthly electrical bill. According to the Department of Energy, up to 75% of energy used by home electronics is consumed when they're "off" and in either standby or passive energy modes.

Standby mode for devices like computers, TVs, DVD players, and game consoles enables a quick return to full usage mode when activated rather than going through a full boot-up process. Examples of devices with passive mode include microwaves (where the clock display draws power) as well as laser printers and cordless phones. The devices causing this waste are referred to as energy vampires because these products are slowing sucking energy from your home while not providing any useful function! In addition to your home office and home electronics equipment, chargers for cell phones, ipods, power tools, etc also suck energy from your home when they are plugged into an outlet, even if they aren't charging. The amount of energy used by products when they are in standby mode is significant. The average U.S. household spends $100 per year to power devices while they are off (or in standby mode). On a national basis, standby power accounts for more than 100 billion kilowatt hours of annual U.S. electricity consumption and more than $10 billion in annual energy costs. The most effective way to vanquish energy-sucking vampires in your home is to simply turn them off, but that can negate the convenience of the device. The next most effective way to keep energy costs down is to make sure to purchase Energy Star-qualified electronics and appliances, which conform to low standby power requirements. For instance, laptops, printers, and TVs must consume 1 watt or less of electricity when in standby mode to qualify for the Energy Star program. To cut down even more on energy vampires, you can also find power accessories that can minimize the time that devices are placed on standby or passive power modes. One accessory will turn power completely off after a set amount of time, and this is can be useful for keeping rechargeable portable devices (like your mobile phone) in full working order while stopping the flow of electricity to it after it's been fully charged. Another accessory can turn power off to peripheral devices (such as a game console and Blu-ray player) when the main device (such as your HDTV) is turned off. The HDTV will still consume power on standby, but the other devices will be completely shut off and they will be powered back on (for a cold boot-up start) when you turn on the HDTV via its physical power button or the one on the remote.

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