Phantom Loads

I’m sure many of you may have never heard the term phantom load. I know before I started looking into a greener way of life I had never heard of it. Basically a phantom load is the amount of electricity your appliances are using even when they are not turned on. For example, your TV while it waits for you to turn on the power button, or your computer and printer as they await you booting them up. The next time you switch these machines to off- think that you are actually switching them to stand-by.  These phantom loads can account for aprox 6% of your electricity bill which for the average consumer adds up to aprox $120 per year.

What can you do to combat the problem, save energy and money?

1-  Plug your electronics into a power bar and after shutting everything off, turn off the power bar. This will ensure that your devices are actually turned off and no longer draining energy.

2- Unplug appliances that are not used on a regular basis, and do not leave chargers plugged in after your phone or iPod is done charging.

3- Lastly, for appliances that can not be unplugged or turned off, ensure they are energy star rated so at least they will be draining less energy while they are on stand-by.