Beware of the VAMPIRES . . . no not the True Blood Vampires, Energy Vampires, those things that suck your energy while you’re sleeping!

Vampire Energy is actually ‘Standby Power” and refers to the electric power used by devices while switched off or in standby mode.

While standby power usage may be low, many household appliances are NEVER fully turned off. Cable boxes, digital recorders consume the most in standby. Anything with a remote control, touch pad, or clock uses power even when it’s off, because it’s in standby mode – example: for the remote sensor to work, the device has to “detect” when the remote is pushed.

Devices like hair dryers, coffeemakers (without a clock), toaster ovens, etc that have a physical off switch (which breaks the power circuit when switched), should not be consuming any standby power.

Laptops, game consoles, with energy saving features built in should be used. The black box (that box on the power cord that heats up when the device is on) has energy waste from the AC to DC power.

While standby energy/power usage doesn’t consume much INDIVIDUALLY, with all these devices in your home staying on 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week can add up to 10% in residential consumption and up to $3 billion in annual energy cost.

So yes unplug the Xbox, use the energy saving features on your major appliances, and TURN OFF THE LIGHT & TV when you leave the room!

Calculate how much Vampire Energy is sucking out of your home here:

http://www.vampirepowersucks.com/Energy-Loss.aspx

My RESULTS:

“Vampire Power is sucking 45% of your total energy for these devices, bleeding up to $88.96/year from your wallet.”

For more information google “vampire energy”

Links reviewed for this post:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standby_power

http://www.aboutmyplanet.com/daily-green-tips/they-take-your-power-while-you%E2%80%99re-sleeping/

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_consumer/50/energy-vampires-fact-versus-fiction.html