You turned off the TV, stopped using the computer, and unplugged your phone from its charger, but some of those devices may still be using electricity. Known as standby or “vampire” power, this is the electricity electronics consume while switched off or not performing their main function. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimates that standby power collectively accounts for roughly 5% to 10% of residential electricity use in a typical American home. The catch is that today’s biggest energy vampires may not be the same ones you remember from 20 years ago, because modern electronics have become much more efficient in standby mode. Instead of unplugging everything in sight, homeowners can save more intelligently by finding the devices in their home that are actually drawing unnecessary power. Here’s a list of 12 common culprits that, when unplugged, can lead to substantial savings.
