Energy vampires can put stress on your energy bills by passively sucking away at your home’s energy usage, wasting a good deal of electricity and potentially costing your household a lot of money on your energy bills. In fact, one study found that Americans collectively waste $19 billion on energy consumed by these “vampire” devices every year—that’s roughly $60 for every person in the country!

What is an energy vampire?

But what exactly is an energy vampire? Energy vampires are appliances and other electronic devices that draw power from outlets while plugged in even if they aren’t turned on. Even energy appliances can be energy vampires. Unplugging these appliances or using a power strip can prevent this and lower your electric bill.

Here are some examples of devices that are energy vampires:

• Cell phone and laptop chargers
• TVs, game consoles, desktop computers, appliances, things that are always plugged in
• Cable boxes
• DVR, DVD players
• Devices that turn on instantly with a remote control
• Devices with standby light or clock

How do you stop energy vampires?

Stakes and garlic won’t work on these vampires. However, there are still several ways that you can save yourself from wasting energy to these greedy devices. One way is to simply unplug them when they are not in use. While this might seem like a lot of work (you probably don’t want to plug your TV in every single time before you use it), consider purchasing a surge protector that you can plug all of your devices into. This way, instead of having to plug in individual devices every time you want to use them, you can simply turn your surge protector off when you leave the room.

Another effective method is to curb idle time on some of your devices by shutting them down completely instead of putting them to sleep. While it is nice to not have to wait for your computer to boot up every morning, it will save you energy by not running your computer throughout the entire night.

If you are looking to increase energy efficiency in general, you might target these energy-sucking appliances and devices for upgrades to more energy efficient models.

One trick you can use to cut down on this idle energy consumption is charging your phone from your computer battery. If you have a USB adapter on your phone charger, try charging your phone from your laptop battery by plugging it into your laptop when it isn’t plugged into the wall. You can also look to do a good deal of your portable device charging (laptop, phone charging, etc.) in places other than your home where you don’t have to pay for electricity. Some examples are at work, or out at a coffee shop or restaurant.

With these tricks of the trade, you won’t have to fear energy vampires any longer!

Want to invest in a surge protector to avoid energy vampires? Purchase one through our Star Energy Rewards app to receive cashback on your purchase! Download the app on iOS or Android to learn more!

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