Standby Power
December 7th, 2007 by Michelle Trantina
Call it what you will: phantom load, idle current, vampire power, wall wart; they’re all euphemisms for the way devices use and waste electricity when they aren’t even on, and they’re everywhere.
Researchers estimate that phantom loads (standby power) account for 2-8% of total household energy. If you’d like to find out which appliances/electronics in your home attract the largest load, devices like the Kill A WATT and WATTSON will do the trick. The best action you can take is to start eliminating unnecessary power use in your home today by following these tips:
1) Purchase a “Smart” Power Strip (available in Canada & US for about $40) that automatically cuts the power when your devices are turned off. Alternatively, you can buy a remote control outlet system such as LaCrosse RS-204 (the same price) which comes with two outlet receivers and a remote. Place the receivers in the wall outlet, plug a regular power strip into that and you have remote control over all the devices (+ their phantom loads) on that strip. The Mini Power Minder has the smarts to shut off your computer’s peripherals when the computer itself is shut down.
2) When buying new items, be sure to buy MORE….
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