Archive 2008 - 2019

Environmental Help Desk for Week of August 26, 2019

by Utah Nickel
8/26/2019

They Visit in the Night

“Vampire electronics” come with “phantom loads”; the electricity used when they are turned off or in standby mode. They are a major source of energy waste. It is estimated that 75% of the energy used to power household electronics is consumed when they are switched off, which can cost you up to $200 per year and the environment a lot of CO2. 

Turn off the lights when they're not in use. Lighting accounts for about 12% of a typical residential utility bill. Make it a habit to shut down computers, printers, and other “vampires” at the end of the day.  It only takes a few minutes to boot back up, but saves electricity (and increases security for devices such as computers when they are shut down).  Smart power strips, also known as advanced power strips, can eliminate the problem by shutting off the power to electronics when they are not in use.  

      Provided by Upper Charles Climate Action – UCCA.350ma@gmail.com