Plugged-in
I regularly turn my computer off when I’m not using it, but the monitor is another story. “But it has power-save mode,” I argue. There’s something about pressing that little green button that I’m resistant to. However, after much kicking and screaming I’ve finally come to agree that it’s a good idea to turn it off, because it DOES use energy even while it’s in power-save mode. And it’s not the only thing that does.
One suggested way to find out how many items in your house are essentially “always on” is to make note of every item you see that has something lit up on it. Whether it’s a clock or a little colored button, it takes electricity to power that. A constant, 24/7 draw of electricity. That constant draw of electricity is called a phantom load. According to the Open Computing Facility at Berkeley, nationally those “phantom loads make up about six per cent of our entire residential electricity consumption.” I guess it’s like anything else: little things really do add up.
If you’d like to reduce this type of energy usage, consider using a power strip for infrequently used items or for groups of items that you typically use all at once. That way you can be sure they’re really off when they’re not in use, and it will only take the flip of a switch. Be especially vigilant about unplugging cell phone chargers (the kinds that are big blocks that plug into the wall) because they waste a lot of energy even when your phone is done charging.
I also found this site that explains how to calculate your home’s phantom load. It looks promising, but I haven’t yet given it a try. I’ll report back here when I do though. I’m curious to see how much energy our home is using when most things are “off”.
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