The relentless rise of utility prices over the past decade have made consumers more aware of how they use electric power. Unfortunately, many of the appliances and devices we rely on on a daily basis are consuming power even when they are turned off!
Many electrical products cannot be truly turned off (and therefore stop hogging energy) unless they are unplugged.
Why? It’s because a growing number of electronic products that populate our homes draw standby power when they are turned off. Standby power is electricity that is consumed by the circuits and sensors that need to receive a remote signal. While a single device will consumer very little overall power, the typical U.S. home has over forty of these products constantly draining power. Together, these amount to about 10% of residential electrical usage.
What are these energy hogging devices?
A few of them include:
- Notebook computers
- Inkjet and multi-function fax machines
- DVDs/VCRs/DVRs
- Cable modems
- Cordless phones with answering machines
- Desktop computers
- Because it’s a pain to unplug devices all the time, switch to a power strip so you can turn off a cluster of devices at the same time.
- When it’s time to upgrade, try to purchase low standby power products. The ENERGY STAR products are tested for reduced reliance on standby power.
- Buy a low-cost watt-meter and test the devices in your home to find the ones hogging the most energy and decisively eliminate where you can.
- If all else fails, pull the plug on the energy hogs when you’re finished using them.
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