Vampire energy refers to electrical devices that constantly use power even when they are not in use (such as in standby mode).
Obviously, having power flowing to your devices all the time costs money – and it often costs more than people think.
Saving on vampire energy costs is not as effective as generally living frugally, but it might save you some money.
How much does vampire energy cost?
The cost of vampire energy differs from household to household.
The more devices you have in standby mode or always turned on, the more it costs.
Common vampire energy devices are TVs, computers/laptops, speakers etc.
Everything plugged into a socket is a potential threat to your wallet. Devices use power even after they are fully charged or in standby mode – especially if it has a standby indicator.
The cost of vampire energy has been estimated to be between 70-110 USD per household per year.
When you need your devices every day, what can you do to save money?
What can you do to avoid vampire energy stealing your money?
There’s quite a few things you can do to save money. Most importantly, you need to get your family on board. Otherwise your efforts will not make the biggest impact.
Try one of the following tips to cut vampire energy from your energy bill:
- Buy a standby saver: This is a device you put into a socket that automatically shuts off the power to devices according to different rules. Some standby savers shuts off all devices except one master device when it goes into standby (e.g. speakers when you shut off your TV). Other standby savers lets you power all devices on/off with a remote control.
- Turn devices off: Whenever you don’t use a device, switch them off at the plug.
- Don’t charge your phone too long: If you sleep with your phone plugged in, you risk losing energy from charging it unnecessarily.
- Buy a plug timer: You can buy a device to put in a socket that automatically turns off devices at specific times. For example, if you know you will not watch TV between 1 AM and 5 AM, you can automatically it off in that period.
Still in doubt about what vampire energy is and what you can do? Check out the infographic below 🙂
