Do you know about the vampires that suck your electricity??

Oh, ok! I agree - I was only trying to make the title attractive. But continuing my energy-conscious series of blogs, I wanted to check just about how many people understand the concept of standby power / phantom energy / vampire energy. (For definition, here's the wiki-link)

Standby power is the power consumed by electrical / electronic devices when switched off, but while connected to the power source. Ideally, they should not consume any power when they are switched off, but many innocent looking devices around our home actually consume some little power even when switched off - chargers (phone / laptop) being one of the prime culprits.

So how much electricity do they suck away silently? Well, not a very huge significant portion of your residential electricity bill - a maximum of 10% maybe. In fact, it can also be marginal if you have fewer devices. So if your power tariff is low, then there is not much cause for alarm as such. But remember that power tariffs are increasing by the day. And although this is something minor for your home; for your city, state or country - that little amount translates to huge numbers. So environmentally, it makes a big difference. 

So what can you do to prevent this energy loss that you are paying for, and did not even realize? There are quite a few things you can do:

1. Replace old electronic devices with more energy efficient ones - the BEE star ratings can guide you with it. 
2. Use of Smart power strips and surge protectors - things that look like spike guards, but offer the additional benefit of protecting against voltage fluctuations and preventing energy loss. However, these smart devices are more commonly available in the western world and are somewhat expensive too.
3. You can use devices that track which of your electrical equipments consume the most power in standby mode

But the cheapest and best option available is to simply unplug devices from their power sockets! Ok, so that is not very convenient. But for devices that are not frequently in use, it is always a good thing to do - it is also a safeguard against fire risks. For eg: the juicer /mixer in the kitchen, the water purifier, the charger, even the geyser or washing machine - devices that are used just about once a day, can easily be kept unplugged. A few seconds of inconvenience can save you money with the additional benefit of having done something good for the environment. Will you do it?

Related links:

1.  How Vampire Power Works
2. Are Energy Vampires Sucking You Dry?