How to Slay Energy Vampires

Author: Angela Stewart, Marketing Intern

Looking for an easy way to save some of the energy your home uses?  Then take a look at your outlets.  Everything you see plugged in your walls is a potential energy loss–even when your appliances and electronics are turned off.vampire energy

In fact, most items that are left plugged in while turned off are helping rack up your energy bill.  The phenomenon is called Vampire Energy and chances are your home appliances and electronics are feasting on your home’s electricity!  Energy Vampires are devices that suck out energy while off or in standby mode.

Common Culprits

Some of the chief culprits are microwaves, computers, cable boxes, DVRs, Plasma TV’s, and video game systems. Did you know it could cost you more money to power a microwave left plugged in for a day than the energy it would costs you to heat a meal? And landline phones use practically the same amount of energy whether or not they are turned on.  In fact, a surge protector on average uses only 0.8 Watts per hour when on, but 1.05 Watts per hour when off!

The Cost

This may not seem like a lot of energy; after all, most devices only use a few Watts per hour when left plugged in.  But it adds up when it’s multiplied by all the devices in your outlets. On average, appliances left plugged in cost each American household 100 bucks a year! Collectively, they’re costing the nation a steep $4 billion!


So what is the best way to slay these energy thieves? Power strips! Easy and affordable, these tried and true devices let you cut off the power supply to your devices.  Rather than unplugging each device individually, all you have to do is switch a flip and the power to the whole strip is turned off. smart power strip

While power strips may be nothing new, smart strips are a small variation that takes convenience to a whole new level. Smart strips are just like power strips but with specific outlets.  They have one control outlet, several energy saving outlets, and a few always-on outlets.

What makes them so valuable is that when the device plugged into the control outlet is turned off, all of the devices in the energy saving outlets are also turned off. Smart strips are perfect for your computer or entertainment center. A TV screen could be made the control device; the stereo, cable, and DVD player would automatically turn off every time you turned off your screen.

These kinds of solutions are some of our favorites here at Elysian Energy.   Power strips and smart strips are low cost, easy to install, and easy to use.  If you aren’t already using them to slay the energy vampires in your home, we hope you start taking advantage of these resources for real home savings. Your electric bills are at stake (pun intended).

*Note: Vampire Energy affects all appliances and electronics, not just those manufactured in Transylvania.