31 Days of Green Little Things: Phantom Loads Are No Treat

It's Day 31 of my 31 Days of Green Little Things!  Day 31!  DAY THIRTY-ONE!  The last day of this series!  Can you believe it?!  Day 31!

Did you know that most of us are living with about 20 phantoms every day?  Not just on Halloween either.

No, I don't mean poltergeists.  I mean electronic devices that use energy even when they're not turned on.  The energy that is consumed when devices are not being used is called a "phantom load." 

For me the easiest way to think about it is anything in "standby mode" or with a little light that remains on draws this (wasted) energy.  The devices are also referred to as "energy vampires" because they continue to suck/draw energy (like blood) even when they are turned off.  

Some of the typical vampires/phantoms are TVs, stereos, DVRs, game systems, chargers (cell phones, laptops, electric razors, etc.), garage door openers, desktop computers, cordless phones, coffee makers, appliances with clocks (stoves, microwaves, etc.), electric toothbrushes, and, well, you get the point.

One of the easiest things we do to reduce our phantom load is unplugging things we aren't using.  The coffee pot is an easy example.  I don't drink coffee and Mr. Green Stuff only makes coffee at home on the weekends so it's unplugged almost all the time.  Another easy thing we do is use power strips.  Our TV and DVD player are plugged into a power strip.  We rarely watch TV and we don't have a DVR so this simple for is.  There's no rebouting to wait for so it's no hassle at all.  When we had a desktop computer it was plugged into a surge-protected power strip along with the printer.  We rarely print anything anymore so we simply unplug our printer now.  

Whether they're called phantom loads, energy vampires, or standby loads, they are scary.  Just like Halloween.  Except they're real!  And a real big waste!

My friend's kid wore this as his Halloween costume last year.

I know! What a great costume!  It has all my favorite qualities: simple, reusable, and clever.  Plus, those cube-shaped plugs are some of the most inefficient ones out there.  She probably already knew that!  I didn't.  Did you?
Come back tomorrow (or maybe the next day if I'm feeling lazy) for a recap of this series. :)

Peace,

Stacey

To follow other "31 Days" journeys, check out The Nester.  She's hosting this party. 

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