Electricity "Vampires"

[coppertop]

My adult kids always give me flak when they come to visit because we turn everything off at its source to avoid the small electricity suck for "instant on" items such as televisions.  They want to just pick up the remote and click it - not get up and turn on the switch.  They tell me it doesn't use that much electricity and it's silly to worry about it.  Does anyone know how much power is actually drawn when the item is turned off but the red light is still on?  I'm not changing my ways to suit my kids - they all live in different states and have their own power bills to worry about - but I would like to know if we are actually saving anything with this habit.  Or are we talking about pennies a year?

[laughing_paddler]

I work at an education center that teaches kids and adults about phantom load (among many other sustainability topics). We've got an interactive exhibit gallery that was co-designed with the local power company and includes some typical phantom loads of gadgets. Here's what they list:

-coffee maker, .66 kWh/month
-computer, 3 kWh/month
-tv, 6 kWh/month
-stereo, 3 kWh/month

In MN we pay $0.11 per kWh, so we're talking... $16 per year for just those 4.

of course, ymmv especially with newer computers and tv's. the only way to know for sure in your house is to get a "kill-a-watt" meter (our local library will loan them to you like a book) and do your own tests.

hope this helps!

[thd7t]

Your kids can make their own decisions in their own houses.  You're eschewing convenience to allow your life to align with your values.  Maybe you can get them each a bedpan and a catheter if they love convenience so much!
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/09/18/is-it-convenient-would-i-enjoy-it-wrong-question/

Also, I second seeing if your library has a "kill-a-watt" meter.

[Spork]

I've measured pretty much everything in the house with a kill-a-watt.  My TV is 1 watt when off.  (One watt is as small as my Kill-a-watt will measure, so even things under 1 watt will often register 1w.)  At my electric rate, that is 7c a month.

[BlueMR2]

It really varies a lot.  In locations that we have power strips anyways, we shut them off when going to bed/leaving the house (and turn them on first time we need to use a device each day).  We don't go out and buy power strips just for the power switch though.  In *most* cases that payback would be a LOOOONG time coming!  Nothing to go crazy about, but don't be wasteful for no reason either.

[gillstone]

We skipped the Kill-a-watt step and installed these outlet timers for the TV (and related), computer and coffee maker so they aren't running at 3AM when I usually don't need internet, coffee or TV.  The switch on top lets you turn off the timer if you really need to use it when it should be off.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D8OCPXU?keywords=outlet%20timer&qid=1444147401&ref_=sr_1_34&sr=8-34

[TVRodriguez]

I work at an education center that teaches kids and adults about phantom load (among many other sustainability topics). We've got an interactive exhibit gallery that was co-designed with the local power company and includes some typical phantom loads of gadgets. Here's what they list:

-coffee maker, .66 kWh/month
-computer, 3 kWh/month
-tv, 6 kWh/month
-stereo, 3 kWh/month

In MN we pay $0.11 per kWh, so we're talking... $16 per year for just those 4.

of course, ymmv especially with newer computers and tv's. the only way to know for sure in your house is to get a "kill-a-watt" meter (our local library will loan them to you like a book) and do your own tests.

hope this helps!

I've read this tip several times, but I finally requested one of these to be picked up at my local library branch.  Thanks for the reminder as well as all your listed info.  I've been curious about this topic myself but have resisted buying a Kill a Watt.  Looking forward to trying out the library's unit!

[Dan_Breakfree]

I heard on NPR today that the biggest power user in a house (besides HVAC) is a cable box! Luckily, we cut our cable a few months ago (use antenna and Dish Sling TV now), but that really surprised me! Here's another article from the LA Times:

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-power-hog-20140617-story.html#page=1

A set-top cable box with a digital recorder can consume as much as 35 watts of power, costing about $8 a month for a typical Southern California consumer. The devices use nearly as much power turned off as they do when they are turned on.

An extra $8/month on top of already ridiculous cable bills!

[BBub]

It's not huge, but every little bit adds up over time.  I went around & took care of vampires in my home one day last spring - mostly for fun & out of boredom.  I put switches on the TV & Wifi router.  Also, we ditched the electric coffee maker for a french press.  I'm not sure how much more energy efficient, if at all, the french press is because we still have to boil water on the gas stove.  But it's quite fancy & the coffee is delicious.  The only items permanently plugged in are the major appliances.  Everything else is on a switch.  Also, that same day, I switched most of our bulbs to LED.  Now that they've come down in price, the math on LED's makes total sense - if they last as long as advertised.