A quick walk through your home might reveal plenty of energy vampires that waste your energy continually. Anything that has a timer or a clock draws power regardless if it’s on or off, and worse, there may be countless others that use energy just by being plugged in.
Although Americans have been using less energy over time thanks to more efficient appliances, the rise of handheld, portable devices and electronics offsets some of the overall energy savings. Many phones, computers, televisions and kitchen appliances continue to use electricity when they’re plugged in.
Convenience features like timers and clocks use energy constantly and the chargers, or wall warts, use electricity even when they’re not charging something. It may not seem like energy vampires would use that much energy, but Salt River Project, a major Arizona utility provider, estimates that it takes the equivalent of 26 average-sized power plants to supply this wasted electricity annually.
Fortunately, it’s not hard to reduce your share by:
- Pulling the plug. After you finish charging a portable device, unplug it, unless it’s one of the new generations of chargers that automatically senses when the battery is full and turns itself off.If your family has lots of devices, gather them up, label them, and use a single power strip that you can turn off when nothing is charging.
- Turning it off. Use a single power strip or surge protector for your television and all its peripherals. When you’re not watching, turn the strip off. Shut down computers instead of letting them sleep.
- Buying smarter. When you need new devices, look for those that have the Energy Star designation. Instead of the typical power strip, look for one that uses smart technology that senses when a battery is full, and shuts that receptacle off.New LED televisions use less energy than older televisions, and even give you energy saving viewing options.
Taking steps to reduce the consumption of energy vampires will cut electric bills and diminish overall demand. To learn more energy saving tips and ideas, contact Ace Hardware Home Services, providing Dayton homeowners with trusted HVAC services.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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