Standby (Vampire) Power
Here is the first tip for our “Don’t be an Eel with Energy” challenge.
Goal - Reduce your energy use by 10%
Cost - $0
Think of all the things in your house that sit there, plugged into the wall all day, every day. Most, if not all of these consume a little bit of power even if they’re not in use. Things like TVs, DVD/VCR Players, Computers, Stereos, Microwaves, Mobile Phone Chargers, Laptop chargers, etc… have a standby mode that allows you to turn them on with a remote control. Whilst in standby, these things still sip power. A little bit of power times 5 things times 24 hours a day times 365 days a year equals a significant amount of power. Estimates put this vampire usage at between 5% and 10% of a households energy use.
If you turn off everything when you are finished using it by unplugging it or turning off the power you can achieve your 10% reduction in one simple move!
Photo courtesy of flickr user lecasio
Tags: Energy Eel