Are Energy Vampires Draining Your Wallet?

You might think that shutting off devices and appliances at the power switch will “kill” them and cause them to stop using power. In most cases, this is true, but like the legendary vampire, some devices “come back to life” even when turned off. Items such as computers, televisions, chargers, power adapters and some types of appliances are energy vampires. They use a small amount of standby power to maintain internal clocks or other settings, to keep remote controls active, or to keep themselves ready to function on demand. Any single device won’t use much standby power, but multiplied by several devices over time, this unnecessary power expenditure can add up.

Try the following tips to banish the energy vampires from your home.

• Unplug what’s not being used: The quickest and easiest way to stop standby power use is to unplug any device or appliance when it’s not being used. Computers, for example, should have internal batteries that provide enough power to maintain necessary settings. Unless the item must be kept plugged in to maintain clocks and settings, unplug it.
• Use power strips: Plug several devices into a power strip so they can all be turned off at once by switching off the strip. When power strips are turned off, no more energy flows to the devices plugged into it, so none of them can use any standby power. Power strips are especially useful for controlling the power to associated devices such as computers, printers, monitors and office equipment.
• Buy and use Energy Star-certified products: Look for the Energy Star label on items you buy. These products have been government tested and certified as energy efficient. They will used the least amount of standby power possible, and should have power-management features that switch the device into energy-saving mode when it’s not being used.

Since the company’s founding more than 30 years ago, NisAir Air Conditioning and Heating has been Martin, Palm Beach, St. Lucie and Indian River counties’ source for professional HVAC services. Contact us today for more information on how to reduce standby power loss and tame the energy vampires in your home.