Getting Rid of Energy Vampires in Your House

Homeowners often don’t realize that many of their plugged-in devices still consume energy when they’re shut off and not being used. On average, these “energy vampires” add about five percent to a home’s yearly energy consumption. If you’re concerned about increasing efficiency and lowering your energy costs, finding and eliminating your household’s energy vampires is a good place to start.

How to Identify Energy Vampires

The most common energy vampires in a home are LED, LCD and large-screen TVs, surround sound systems, cable/satellite TV boxes, cordless phones, and computers and their peripheral equipment. If you look at how a device is powered and how it works, it’s easy to spot the vampires. Check for items with external power supplies built into the cord, ones with remote controls, devices that charge batteries or with built-in clocks or continuously-lit displays.

How to Kill the Vampires Lurking in Your Home

Once you’ve found all the vampires in the house, here’s how to go about curbing or curtailing their hidden energy consumption.

• Unplug items that aren’t used regularly. Pull the plug on that second computer, the extra TV, stereo or DVD player that isn’t used often, and only plug it in again when you need it.
• Buy a few power strips. Placing clustered items, such as your TV, surround sound and cable or satellite TV box, on a single power strip gives you a convenient way to shut off their supply of electricity when they’re not being used.
• Use the sleep-mode function. If you find it hard to remember to unplug some items like a video game console or your computer, change the settings so they automatically go into sleep mode when they sit idle for 10 minutes or so.
• Make energy-savvy replacements. When the time comes to replace your older items, buy Energy Star-qualified replacements. Products that have the Energy Star logo are certified as the most efficient available, so they use less energy whether they’re turned on or in standby mode.

To learn more ways to deal with energy vampires in your Middletown home, contact us at C.R. Wolfe Heating & Air Conditioning.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Middletown, New York about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about conserving energy and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 845-367-4482.

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