Have you ever heard of vampire energy?
Most of us will answer “no” and it sounds scary. Well, it is really threatening and scary when you finally realize what vampire energy means.
Vampire energy is also known as standby power, electricity leak or phantom load. It is the electrical energy wasted and consumed while the appliances or electronic gadgets are turned or switched off but still plugged in. Although household or office devices are switched off, they still use certain electricity. Appliances can be in passive (e.g. your cordless phone base station) or active (plasma TV off but still plugged in) standby modes.
The information graphics show numbers for regular standby modes in corresponding devices which range from radio, cordless phone base stations, LCD monitor, computer, laptop, laser printer, plasma TV, VCR, DVD player, game console, microwaves to rechargeable toothbrush – all of which continue to draw power even when they are turned off but still plugged in. How much electricity is being sucked out per annum, in kilowatt hours, and what it costs you, assuming 11 cents per kilowatt-hour. Red lines illustrate passive standby, while the blue lines illustrate active standby. The numbers the information gives are quite alarming. And the scariest part of it is that vampire energy is anticipated to cost United States consumers $3 billion per year!
Vampire energy is a constant drain on people’s wallets as well as sucking the electrical grid, resulting in a huge impact on the environment and our planet. So why not start now and conserve energy?
