An Energy Vampire is a being said to have the ability to feed off the life force or vitality of other living creatures. This is where the term Vampire Energy is derived. This is important to understand because Good Magazine is reporting that when household and home office appliances or machines are turned off, most are still using some electricity. This is where the Vampire part comes into play. These appliances or machines are either in passive standby mode (such as the clock on the microwave) or in active standby mode (such as when the DVR is off but is programed to record something). The Chart below shows how much these Vampires are stealing in wasted energy. Vampire energy is estimated to cost the U. S. consumer -- that would be you -- $3 Billion a year.
How can you help?
Just by doing little things. It is estimated, for example, that only 5% of power drawn by cell phone charges is actually used to charge phones. The other 95% is wasted when left plugged in. Do not leave you cell phone plugged in all of the time. Charge the phone, unplug the charger, and you have just helped in saving the planet.
Make sure you use only Energy Star appliances. You can cut your phantom or Energy Vampire loads by up to 50% with energy saving appliances.
TV and VCRs alone waste more than a billion dollars in lost electricity in the U.S. annually. Make sure you turn off the electricity to these when you are not using them.
Then computers. I know it is vogue not to turn these off when you are not using them, or to put them in some type of sleep mode, but do not do this. Turn them off. Sure it will take a little longer to boot up, but you will be saving the planet.
I remember when my parents use to be so concerned about lights being left on and the doors being left open when the heating or air conditioning was on. "Shut the door, you are cooling off the outside" my mother would yell. My mother also likes to remember how she made fun of her father after they finally got electricity in their house because he would continually tell them to "blow out the light". But truth be known, they did not have all of these extraneous appliances back then that consumed electricity when not in active use. The frig was about it.
I think the point is that we just need to be more mindful of our energy use when we do not intend to use energy. If you turn off a product and there continues to be a little green, blue, red or amber light glowing, then it is not off and that Energy Vampire is sucking you, the country and the environment dry.
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