Vampire power

Standby power. Phantom Load. Leaking electricity. Vampire power. What on earth am I talking about right now? All these terms are different names for the electricity that is lost by leaving electrical appliances plugged into the wall, even if they are not in use or if they are "turned off."

Electrical appliances that have wallpacks, clocks, LEDs, or any kind of standby feature are sucking electricity. Some of the biggest offenders include phone chargers, TVs, wall clocks, VCRs and DVD players, and computers. All of these items are consuming energy when they are plugged in, whether you are using them or not.

So why should you care? Depending on what estimate you use, phantom load uses up about 6% of the electricity in the United States! Wow. That is a lot. If we reduced this wasted energy by just 1% of total use, we could save 55 million barrels of oil a year.

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The more I learn about more efficient and eco-friendly ways to live, the more I realize that the difficulty is not about actually being green. How hard is it to unplug your phone charger or your iPod charger when your device is fully charged? It is the simplest thing to do. Would you leave the water running in the sink when you finished brushing your teeth? Is there a difference? No, it is simply a matter of habit.

The hardest things about being green is learning about what to do, and then changing your habits. I had no idea that electrical devices sucked electricity when turned off. Now that I know, I have gone around and yanked all these devices out of the wall. It honestly took me five minutes. Not even five minutes. The phone charger (both of them), the iPod charger, the DVD player that I never use, the power cord for my laptop. All of these items have been costing me money, and all because I didn't know they were taking up electricity. Now I am in the habit of unplugging my devices. It wasn't hard.

Being green isn't all about green consumerism or green trends that will impress your yoga friends—it is sometimes about being conservative. It can be about acting in your own best interests. Save yourself money by unplugging devices around the house that aren't in use. Green conservatism—good for you and good for the world!

Interested in learning more about the creeping menace of vampire power? Check out treehugger.com's tips here: Cut back on Phantom Power.