Save Energy By Unplugging

Though it's known by a laundry list of names-phantom load, idle current, vampire power and wall wart are the most common-this "phantom energy" all does the same thing: sucks extra energy from the grid into your home when you aren't looking and you don't need it. Many gadgets, electronic devices and appliances draw power even when they're switched off or not in use, just by being plugged in, and though it may seem trivial, it can add up over time.

Chargers for cell phones, digital cameras, power tools and other gadgets draw energy even when they're not in use. Appliances like televisions, computer monitors, and DVD players can also draw power whenever they're plugged into an outlet. All together, phantom energy can account for about 10 percent of an individual home's electricity use. It might not sound like much, until you consider that cutting out that 10 percent will get you over a month of free electricity every year.Taking quick action, like unplugging your devices when they aren't use, will cut back on phantom power, though it can definitely be a hassle to crawl behind the TV every time you're done watching. There are a handful of devices designed specifically to combat phantom energy (and that's another post), but plugging bundled devices-think TV, DVD player, and DVR, or computer, monitor, and printer- into the same power strip and then turning off the power strip will do the job.
Read the full story here and here.

Related:
"We Want The Greenest House..." But Cheap
Want Greener Energy In Your Home? Try A Micropower Audit

Comments

[Stephen308]

09:37 PM on 10/24/2008

This is just plain silly. Many devices include clocks and other settings that are lost if they are unplugged for long. Asking people to run around all day plugging and unplugging is just NOT the ANSWER and an example of a bad way to try and help people be green.

Design a phone charger with shuts down when the phone is charged and no longer pulling a load. The user could then plug in, push a button or something and start the process over again.

What about a VCR? That must maintain memory so it will kick in while you are out and record the show you want. Build it with a rechargeable battery. It can then shut off it's transformer when not in use and only turn it on when it's time to record the show or give itself a quick battery recharge.

We need to engineer our way out of this not tell people, the vast majority who will never do it, to unplug things. My wife is gonna have that coffee turn on in the morning no matter how much you hate her coffee pots transformer. But the pot can be engineered to be more green.

That can be done NOW, with todays tech and would not add much to cost. Lets push for that and stop this non-sese of asking people to crawl around unplugging stuff.

[Frankenreich]

02:12 PM on 10/24/2008

I want the energy use published on the product, and the stillwattage, energy used when the product is off. That is waste and publishing it will make manufacturers think more about engineering and competition.

[mamacat]

06:17 AM on 10/22/2008

It does seem to me that there is some faulty electrical engineering going on here, or at least electrical engineering that is being done in favor of electrical companies, and not the consumer.

If the consumer has to unplug an unused appliance in order to keep it from being a signifigant load on the circuit, then something is wrong with the design of the appliance (DVRs excepted, of course). At a time when we are concerned about global warming and about saving money, this kind of designed-in waste is deplorable.

[buglady]

01:33 AM on 10/22/2008

We unplugged multiple phone chargers, battery chargers, etc. when not in use and installed high efficiency appliances in our home several years ago. We decreased our electric energy use by 20%, which now is all provided by solar energy. Anything that is warm to the touch is using energy, whether you are using the charger or not. We were amazed that you could reduce your consumption by that much with unplugging a few items, but when it is using even a small amount 24/7 it does add up!

[BlueZoo]

10:11 PM on 10/21/2008

The only thing I want to unplug is Sarah Palin!

[Frankenreich]

02:12 PM on 10/24/2008

Plug in Ron Paul

[mastodonj]

04:58 PM on 10/21/2008

Not all the statements in the article are true....
I purchased a Kill-a-Watt electrical power meter recently and it's pretty interesting
to test all the devices around the house.

Specifically:
Blackberry charger uses 1 (one) watt while charging and Zero watts when the BB is not connected.
Landline phone: 1 to 2 watts while charging
Boombox: 2 watts while radio is playing
Laser multi-fn printer: 3 watts in sleep mode, 8 watts at startup

[superBadGirl]

04:49 PM on 10/21/2008

What in the world is the point of an unplugged DVR?

Also, see this page for an experiment debunking the "cell phone chargers are sucking up all your energy" myth. http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/sustainable/charger/

[roald]

10:05 PM on 10/21/2008

Good point on the DVR if you plan to record something or want TiVo to control your life. The article to which you point focuses on the narrow parasitic drain of a cell phone charger. How about the other devices, PCs and computer peripherals on stand-by, instant-on televisions, and such?

[Spartacus911]

04:18 PM on 10/21/2008

About a year ago i put almost everything in my apartment on "power strips" and turned tehm off when I wasn't using them like it describes in the article here. the result was that my electricity usage was cut in half. This is a really good way to save power.