Have you ever heard of ‘the vampire energy’? It has nothing in common with Bram Stoker and Stephenie Meyer though. It is a real enemy that steals money from your pocket every month. The Vampire Power is the device that can leech energy even when it is shut off. The worse thing is that these ‘dead appliances’ around the house cost you more than 20% of your electricity bill.
According to the research conducted by the National Resource Defense Council, America pays around $19 billion in energy costs every year. This amount is significant because of our bad habits such as leaving a phone charger or desktop computers plugged. Most people don’t know much about the appliances they are using and the electricity ratings. It is not complicated, take a look:
If you want to reduce your electric bill and become energy-efficient, you need to keep the devices you don’t use unplugged. Before you leave the house, check your kitchen appliances, DVD player, laptop, printer, device charger, and garage door openers. If you constantly forget about it, activate energy saver modes, so it can put your electronics to sleep when you don’t use them. A lot of new products usually come with an energy saver mode, you just need to check whether your current appliances have one.
Secondly, start using electric strips that will allow you to shut off all electrical appliances at the same time. Nowadays you can find a new type of power strip that can turn off all your peripheral devices automatically. Also, you can replace your current light bulbs with LED bulbs. They cost more than incandescent light bulbs, but they will last longer. Most importantly, LED bulbs are more efficient since they use about 75% less energy, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
There are more ways to ‘kill the vampire’, check out below:
