How To Vanquish Costly Energy Vampires From Your Home

Many of us are professed technology addicts. There are gadgets and devices that help us do everything from getting up on time in the morning to staying connected with relatives and business partners that live halfway across the world.

While these mobile smart devices and digital appliances make our lives easier and give us something to brag about around the water cooler, the prolifieration of electric gadgets does not bode well for energy bills and the planet. Unless your family is particularly adventurous, it’s probably not a reality for you to abandon all of your gadgets all at once, so what is the aspiring energy conservationist to do?

Energy Circle founder Peter Troast was recently featured in a front page piece in the New York Times about something we can all relate to: How much energy all our increasing number of gadgets uses, and what to do about it.

Did you know that the average household went from 3 gadgets in 1980 to 25 in more recent years? When’s the last time you really went around your house and counted all of the devices that are constantly blinking and buzzing their way through thousands of watts of energy every day?

Like you, “Troast figured his household used a lot of power. Just how much did not really hit him until the night the family turned off the overhead lights at their home in Maine and began hunting gadgets that glowed in the dark” (NYT).

Even for average families, personal computers, iPods, cellphones, game consoles are constantly plugged in and consuming energy, even when they are not actually switched on. This is commonly referred to as “idle current usage” or “vampire energy.”

“Worldwide, consumer electronics now represent 15 percent of household power demand, and that is expected to triple over the next two decades, according to the International Energy Agency, making it more difficult to tackle the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for global warming. To satisfy the demand from gadgets will require building the equivalent of 560 coal-fired power plants, or 230 nuclear plants, according to the agency” (NYT).

If you are convinced, as Troast was, that there has to be a way to use gadgets more efficiently in order to enjoy their benefits without sucking up quite so much energy (and money), you’re exactly right. Without much inconvenience, there are some simple changes that can be made to thwart these energe vampires before they get their teeth in your energy bill.

Vanquish the Vampires:

For most families, seeing is all it takes to believe. Energy Circle recommends that families install a real time energy monitoring device, like the TED (The Energy Detective) in order to better visualize and understand how much energy the household is using.
Another effective yet relatively inexpensive change is to plug as many of your electronic devices as possible into Smart Strips to control reduce the amount of energy that is used when the device is in idle or off modes.
Of course, it’s best to start with the most energy efficient practices to begin with, so make sure that you are using Energy Star rated appliances when possible, ditch the dryer for a clothesline when possible, and replace conventional light bulbs for LEDs or CFLs as they burn out.

Additional Reading:

Shocking New Report: Hidden Costs of Burning Fossil Fuel Energy are Big

Can We Prevent Worst Climate Change Scenarios?

Why Warming Up the Car is the Worst Thing You Can Do This Winter

Image Credit: inhabitat.com

quick poll

vote now!

Loading poll...

no!
leaning no
leaning yes
yes!

no!
leaning no
leaning yes
yes!

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Beverly G.

7:39PM PDT on Apr 1, 2012

asm doing most of the stuff above already for years.

send a green star

Lucy H.

6:22AM PDT on Apr 1, 2012

Go with LED lights. CFL's contain toxic mercury and there is plenty of evidence that the dirty energy from them makes people sick.

Lin P.

2:56PM PDT on Mar 31, 2012

Great advice, but clothes dryer plug/connector is of a different (higher) amperage (seldom use the heat), stove and are difficult to reach. (Why, because of grounding). The refrigerator I'm not comfortable unplugging with possible food deterioration. All else is unplugged including microwave and T.V. Don't need clocks as batteries (also a big source of pollution) keep time fine. No matter what we do, each of us still consume or pollute too much. The more we increase our human demands, the more ill the earth, as a whole organism, becomes. Over human populations and over consumptions from the tempting technological intelligence of our species. Just can't win for losing.

Rhonnda R.

12:05PM PDT on Jun 28, 2011

There is an old saying, "take care of the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves!" It seems our ancestors had more common sense than a lot of present day people! I live on a small pension and am trying to hold on to my home, so I have been very conscious of turning things off and unplugging objects, especially when I go out and/or do not NEED to be leaving them on, while I am doing something else. However, my mistake is in trying to live with others who have no concept of saving money this way or any other way,...so with the rising costs, I live in endless fear of becoming homeless at 60,...why can't people deal with saving on things like this,...it is not hard to do!!! If we don't try to save now, a candle and a cardboard box will be all we have left!

Elle B.

6:30AM PDT on Jun 28, 2011

We are a trying to keep juice-use low household but did know that about DVR's. It has been plugged into energy saving strip since we've had it. And we turn everything off when not in use. Thanks for good article. :)

Dana W.

11:04AM PDT on Jun 27, 2011

I'm willing to put a power strip on my cable box but wonder how it would affect my landline phone service?

Vivianne M.

3:43PM PDT on Mar 26, 2011

this is a good article ty for it. I have been turning off lights and only have on one when I'm on my computer or reading at night.

7:58PM PDT on Mar 17, 2011

I wash all clothes in cold water, air dry some things, and air dry my dishes. I also installed some power strips and try to unplug other items when not in use.

Jennifer B.

11:07PM PST on Feb 27, 2011

I also try to turn off my computer at work, but I keep getting complaints about that. Oh well, how hard is it to reach down and turn it back on!

Lois K.

9:07AM PDT on Mar 30, 2010

I'm eager to figure ways to eliminate my resident Vampires, but my t.v. service is heavily dependent on a digital clock. Now what?
I'm going to email them to see if there's an option that lets me have service w/o this.
I'm also told my geothermal heating is more efficient if not dialed back as it takes more power to return it to temp. than if passively maintaining the temp.