Energy Vampires Suck Your Wallet Dry: How to Be More Conscious of These Appliances
What is the definition of an energy vampire? An energy vampire is a device that uses energy and drains power even after being switched off. Phone chargers and cable boxes, computer wires, and coffee pots are examples of where they might be found in your home. These invisible energy vampires can consume up to 20% of your monthly electricity bill. How do you destroy an energy vampire in the shortest amount of time? All you have to do is locate the culprits and disconnect them.
Top 5 Energy Vampires
- Computers and computer-related equipment (modems, routers, etc.)
- Instant-on TVs (LED, LCD, and rear-projection). Rule of thumb, larger screens use more energy
- Surround sound systems
- Cable or satellite TV boxes
- Household items with a clock (e.g., microwave, DVD player, etc.)
How to Identify Energy Vampires
- An external power supply
- A remote control
- A continuous display (including an LED), such as a clock
- Charges batteries
Why Do Appliances Leak Energy?
Every cord hooked into an outlet is essentially sucking electricity out of the system. Even though many devices have sleep or standby modes, they need energy to execute updates, connect to remote servers, and record data.
One of the reasons our devices leak energy is modern technology's connectedness. Even if the TV is turned off, it is ready to receive a signal from the remote control and turn on at any time. Until it's time to record the next show or run behind-the-scenes updates, your DVR is always "lying in wait."
Most households have many devices that use vampire power in standby mode. When you have consistent power, your gadgets can respond swiftly when you need them. However, this convenient feature comes at a cost in terms of your monthly and annual electrical bills.
How Much Energy Does This Cost You?
Device drain is continual and unavoidable with so many digital devices unless you're ready to unplug every device in your house after each use. When it comes to which appliances use the most electricity when turned off, modern conveniences with digital displays and internet access are the most common. However, if you're wondering if lamps utilize electricity when turned off, some use on-off switches that efficiently cease power.
How Can You Stop Energy Vampires?
Unplugging appliances and electronics when not in use and using power strips can help stop energy vampires from sucking up all the energy in your home. However, the best way to track down and manage your appliances is to get a home energy monitoring system, like PowerX, for your home.
PowerX can monitor your electricity, water, and water heater energy use. The device then analyzes your home's energy consumption, presenting patterns and even real-time statistics. It gives you an accurate view of how much energy your home uses so that you can comprehend your electric bill better. PowerX can even provide information on how much individual energy appliances consume while they are not in use and a baseline of electricity consumption when they are. This can give you the kind of thorough information about your electricity usage that you'll need to make your home's required repairs and upgrades.
PowerX provides fully automated smart home monitoring solutions using the energy-efficient LoRa connectivity standard. Our system helps you monitor and optimize energy consumption and proactively avoid disasters like frozen pipes. Get in touch today to find out more.
