And It's Taking a Bite Out of Your Budget!
It happens while you're sleeping—the lifeblood is sucked right out of your home! It's called vampire power, and it refers to the electric power that's consumed while your appliances are on standby or switched off. Though it only accounts for about 5% of U.S. household electricity use, standby power adds up. It wastes $10 billion each year!
Standby power can be a problem if your appliances and devices are old, or if you have lots of them. There are also those of us who dislike any item drawing power unless it's being used. Why give a bonus to your local utility company?
Fortunately, there is help. iGo just launched a new website, Vampire Power Sucks. The site is worth visiting just to see the blood-dripping electrical outlet graphic, but it's loaded with tips for vampire power loss prevention. I've been a long-time fan of iGo chargers, and was pleased to learn about several new items specifically developed to deal with standby power loss. Find out how you can save electricity and money with iGo's new line of chargers and surge protectors.
Is Vampire Power a Problem in Your Home?
Standby Power
A Few Facts Courtesy of Wikipedia
Standby power, also called vampire power, vampire draw, phantom load, or leaking electricity, refers to the electric power consumed by electronic appliances while they are switched off or in a standby mode. A very common "electricity vampire" is a power adapter which has no power-off switch. Some such devices offer remote controls and digital clock features to the user, while other devices, such as power adapters for laptop computers and other electronic devices, consume power without offering any features.The wasted standby power (vampire energy loss) of individual household electronic devices is typically very small, but the sum of all such devices within the household becomes significant. Standby power makes up a portion of homes' miscellaneous electric load, which also includes small appliances, security systems, and other small power draws.
U.S. Department of Energy:
In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. This can be avoided by unplugging the appliance or using a power strip and using the switch on the power strip to cut all power to the appliance.
Bye Bye Standby
Press One Button and Put an End to Needless Energy Waste
Bye Bye Standby
Get Control of Your Gadgets
Bye Bye Standby BBSBUSA Energy Saving Kit
Amazon Price: $15.56 (as of 11/30/2009)
Product Description: Bye Bye Standby is a brand new energy saving solution designed to reduce the daily energy consumption of electrical devices. Bye Bye Standby works by completely cutting power to the devices plugged into it when they're not in use, thus saving the power that these devices would otherwise have consumed in Standby Mode. Bye Bye Standby is a new way to save energy, carbon emissions and money.
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Vampire Power Sucks Blog
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byKill-a-Watt Usage Calculating Device
See Exactly How Much Vampire Power You're Using
P3 International P4460 Kill A Watt EZ Electricity Usage Monitor
Amazon Price: $34.91 (as of 11/30/2009)
Product Description: Find out if it's time for a new refrigerator, or if that old air conditioner is still saving you money. Simply connect your appliances to the Kill A Watt EZ, and it will assess how efficient they really are. Large LCD display will count consumption by the Kilowatt-hour, same as your local utility. Calculate your cumulative electrical expenses and forecast by the day, week, month, even an entire year. Also check the quality of your power by monitoring Voltage, Line Frequency, and Power Factor.
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- RT @TechnoTrendz: Vampire Power Slayers - iGo Power Smart Wall & Power Smart Tower http://bit.ly/4OzFqj
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- iGo's Hyperviligant Power Strip Perhaps the Greenest of Them All http://bit.ly/4q4hwq
Vampire Power Sucks on Twitter
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- Twlight: New Moon Sucks Big Money from Wallets Worldworld [Vampires]: Behold the power of the sparkly vampire. How... http://bit.ly/4AW8K4
Solio Solar Powered Charger
Reduce Your Vampire Energy by Going Solar
Solio Magnesium Edition Universal Solar Hybrid Charger
Amazon Price: $89.99 (as of 11/30/2009)
Product Description: Solio Magnesium hybrid charger combines efficient solar panels and a high capacity battery to collect and store power. With expanded compatibility and a strong yet elegant magnesium alloy shell, this is the most powerful and versatile hybrid charger ever made. Now compatible with the Universal iGo tip system for use with hundreds of different portable electronics. Charge your devices anytime, day or night.
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What's the Buzz on Vampire Power?
Here's What Bloggers are Saying About Vampire Power
- Vampire Power Sucks - Earth911.com
- Vampire power (also known as ?phantom load?) is the power that your electrical devices use even when they are turned off or in standby mode. That's right, the little power switch isn't enough to protect you from unnecessary expense as ...
- Don't Let 'Vampire' Power Suck the Cash Out of You | Fine-Tuned ...
- sucking power and cash from your pocket even as you sleep! Although it may be just a trickle it adds up over time. The grinningplant.com website outlines ?the cost to consumers and businesses for all the electricity lost to vampire ...
- Vampire Power Slayers - iGo Power Smart Wall & Power Smart Tower ...
- It's Vampire Power, also known as ?phantom load,? ?leaking electricity,? ?standby power,? and ?vampire draw.? It sucks money out of your wallet that you use to pay for electricity and you don't even feel it biting. ...
- Vampire Energy Loss Sucks » Blog Archive » NBC's Green Week ...
- Did you know most electronics continue to suck electricity when plugged in and not in use or fully charged? This energy crisis is called vampire energy loss or vampire power, and it sucks. It sucks power for our energy supply; it sucks ...
Look Who's Talking About Vampire Power
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Smart Power Strips the Garlic of Vampire Electronics : CleanTechnica
Written by Michelle Bennett, Published on May 3rd, more...1 point
Power Strips with Switches or Remotes
Turn Off Devices and Adapters When You're Not Using Them
4 Outlet Power Surge Strip, 180 Joules
Amazon Price: $5.95 (as of 11/30/2009)
6 Outlet Metal Power Strip (S9P609000A04000)
Amazon Price: $10.99 (as of 11/30/2009)
Woods Ind. 553574 6 Outlet Power Strip With Foot Switch
Amazon Price: $12.91 (as of 11/30/2009)
Belkin BG108000-04 Conserve Energy Saving Surge Strip
Amazon Price: $35.37 (as of 11/30/2009)
Smart Strip LCG3 Energy Saving Power Strip with Autoswitching Technology
Amazon Price: $30.22 (as of 11/30/2009)
Save Money and Protect the Environment
Energy Star Products on eBay
Save an Average of 20-30% on Energy Usage
Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. The program helps consumers save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
Here's my favorite link:
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While the above statement is not much of a surprise to most people the important fact is that it's true. But, it's not all bad news. Those of us living in the United States today are living in a day and age where we have never been so energy consciou...
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Are You Ready to Take a Stand Against Vampire Power?
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Reply
- ElizabethJeanAllen ElizabethJeanAllen Oct 22, 2009 @ 4:50 am
- Great information. I never really thought about the amount of energy wasted when appliances and computers sit on standby.
Thanks for sharing
5* and lensroll to Portable Electric Space Heaters
And thanks for the blessing. I really appreciate it.
LIzzy
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Reply
- JaguarJulie JaguarJulie Oct 21, 2009 @ 5:30 pm
- Wow -- this is a really great way of thinking about the power that is getting sucked out of our homes. Bloody heck I say!
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About the Author
Lensmaster KimGiancaterino has been a member since October 30 2006, has rated 8,100 lenses, favorited 3,971, and has created 288 lenses from scratch. Kim Giancaterino donates their royalties to Asante Africa Foundation. This member's top-ranked page is "Diary of a Squid Angel (2009)". See all my lenses
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