Your neighbor’s annual Halloween bash has started; music is blaring, and most of the party crew has arrived. You quickly snatch your phone, unplugging it from its charger, and dash out the door. You think you’ve stopped drawing electricity since you unplugged your device.
Though your phone is no longer charging, electricity is still being consumed at the plug. This phenomenon, called “vampire load,” silently sucks up unneeded power. You must unplug your charger from the outlet to stop the flow of electricity. This can become quite a chore for all your favorite gadgets, gizmos, game consoles, DVRs and TVs.
Finding the right power strip can ease this burden for you. There are many to choose from that offer features like timers, remote switches and more. These are known as advanced power strips. Energy.gov recommends using this type in your home, where many devices can be plugged into one strip. You’ll need to find the one that works best for your habits – do you keep your laptop docked, do you want manual or automated control of the strip, would one with a timer work best?
Your entertainment center, game room or home office are good places to consolidate, using one strip to reduce the amount of energy used by your electronics. Be sure to check out this infographic highlighting how much wasted energy can cost you. You don’t want to let vampire loads suck the life out of your electricity bill.
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