How to avoid 'bites' from energy vampires lurking in your home

5 ways to manage your electronics to save energy

Like Count Dracula draining the blood of his victims, “energy vampires” can suck potential savings from your energy bill. Drive a stake into the heart of energy vampires by understanding what might be draining power in your home or business – and how you can save.

Energy vampires are hard to spot unless you know what to look for. Do you know that some electronic devices guzzle standby power around-the-clock even when you aren’t using them? Wall wart power adapters and brick AC/DC adapters on laptops, televisions and cable TV cords often take up several positions on a power outlet strip and use energy continuously.

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AC adapters can be power guzzlers. Keep an eye on them.

These energy vampires lurk in your home in disguise – and can be found on electronics like a TV, phone charger, laptop cord or coffee pot. They can drain energy – and potential savings from your energy bill – accounting for as much as 20% of your total energy costs. 

Here’s how to defeat energy vampires and save:

Know your energy suckers

  • Digital TVs
  • DVR and DVD players
  • Mobile phone chargers
  • Laptop chargers
  • Video game consoles
  • Cable/satellite boxes
  • Standby coffee makers
  • Devices that turn on instantly with remote control
  • Devices with standby light or clock

Then fight back

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Flip the switch on your power strip to save energy.
  • Unplug energy vampires when not in use – and unplug devices you don’t use often. And then control them.
  • Use power strips. Plug wall warts and bricks into power strips and turn them off when not needed. Smart power strips make it even easier by automatically cutting off power when devices are not in use.
  • Put it to sleep. Curb idle time by using the energy-saving features – such as sleep mode – built into computers and televisions.
  • Consider your options. When it comes time to replace old or broken devices, choose products that are more energy efficient and have a lower-than-average standby consumption rate. Advances in appliance efficiency mean newer technology can often pay for themselves from the energy savings you gain.

Together, these steps can help you save energy.

More ways to save energy

Use Duke Energy’s Energy Vampire Calculator to find out how much electricity your devices are devouring.  

Explore no-cost and low-cost tips to help you use less energy: click here