Thought your home was safe from creatures of the night? Think again. This Halloween, it’s not only the vampires lurking around the corner that you need to watch out for, but also the sneaky “energy vampires” hiding in plain sight in your home.
Everything you plug into an outlet – almost every appliance, computer, console, charger, you name it – sucks power even when it’s turned off. Also known as “phantom or ghost load”, these vampires sip on electricity all day, silently increasing your electricity bill and sucking the life out of your wallet. All without you noticing. Until you get the bill.
Ghosts in the machines
According to Canstar Blue, standby power could cost you from as little as $0.03 per hour for a computer monitor to as much as $0.54 per hour for a smart TV, depending on things like where you live, your energy tariff, and appliance efficiency.
Now, $0.03 per hour might not seem like much, but with the average home having between 15 and 40 energy-thirsty leeches, it adds up fast. In fact, vampire energy could account for up to 10% of your electricity bill! For an average Australian household, this means an extra $170 to $200, or more, each year for electricity that you’re not even using. Now, that’s scary!
Cutting the life supply to energy vampires not only reduces energy costs but could also reduce Australian carbon emissions by 2.6 million tonnes. That’s equal in weight to about 260,000 African elephants.
What’s draining your wallet and the planet?
So, what are the biggest suckers?
- Mobile phone, laptop, and toothbrush chargers plugged in, waiting to be used.
- TVs, printers, and computer screens chilling on standby.
- Microwaves, ovens, and other appliances with digital displays.
- Kettles, air fryers, and coffeemakers conveniently hanging out on the counter.
- Gaming consoles, dreaming of feasting on your energy when in sleep mode.
- Siri, Alexa, or any other smart home assistant listening out for your voice.
- Any appliance that has an LED light, digital clock, or a remote control is probably consuming standby power right now.
Do this before you go trick-or-treating:
- Unplug. If you’re not using it, unplug it. Better yet, get a few power strips and cut the life supply to a bunch of vampires in one satisfying flick.
- Dark mode: On. Turn off all inside lights to make your home extra spooky.
- Change settings. Switch devices to energy-saving mode and adjust the thermostat by a degree or two.
- Have fun while the sun shines. Sunlight is nature’s vampire repellent, so get your trick-or-treating’ done while it’s still light out and avoid the ghouls lurking in the shadows.
The easiest way to reduce the amount of standby power you use is to turn your devices and appliances off at the plug when you’ve finished using them. Start now. Go flick a switch and tell your standby devices to stand down.
