Unplug those vampire electronics. Stop them from draining your money via your electric bill.
What is a vampire?
A vampire electronic is a device that continues to consume power in it’s “off” state. They are designed this way so that they will start up more quickly when you do turn them on and save you time.
Worst offenders?
I’ve personally noticed electric toothbrushes to be the worst offenders. If you put your hand to the outside of the plug portion even while the toothbrush is not in the charger it will feel very warm. Warm = consuming power and draining your money. I’ve also found that mine only actually needs to charge overnight for one night every two weeks which means it can be unplugged more than 96% of the time with no impact on it’s functionality.
What’s easy and practical to unplug?
- cell phones
- laptops
- other consumer electronics like MP3 player chargers
- bathroom appliances (electric toothbrush, electric razor, hair dryer, curling/flat iron)
- small kitchen appliances (coffee maker, toaster, blender, counter top microwave)
- TV entertainment systems (if you put them on a power strip with a switch)
- desktop computer systems (if you put them on a power strip with a switch)
What isn’t easy and practical to unplug?
- clocks (easy but impractical, why have the clock if you can’t just glance at the time?)
- large kitchen appliances (stove, oven, dishwasher)
- washing machine, dryer
Photo Credit: hamron (via Flickr)
Featured in All Things Eco, Festival of Frugality.
Shared in Blissfully Domestic, Frugal Friday, Kitchen Tip Tuesdays, Thrifty Green Thursday.
 Subscribe via RSS |  Subscribe via Email | learn more about subscribing |
{ 1 trackback }
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Great insight! I knew that leaving some of these items plugged in drained the electricity but I never knew why! Thanks so much!
Marcy Kennedy’s last blog post: Walmart Deals & Steals
Hmmm. Maybe I should switch to a battery operated clock?
Nah. Then I’d just be late every time the battery ran low. I don’t need to be late more. I’m already late enough.
I recently started unplugging my stereo/wireless/printer every night by putting them all on a power strip. I did the same with the tv/vcr/dvd player. I noticed my bills went down from $45/month to $27/month! I’m not sure if that reduction is due to all the unplugging, but I am going to keep it up.
Great tip! Thanks for joining us for Thrifty Green Thursday over at the Green Baby Guide!
Rebecca (Green Baby Guide)’s last blog post: Inspirational Nature Name Ideas for Joy’s New Baby
I don’t think you have to unplug everything because not all appliances draw energy. You really need to watch for appliances that have “transformers” and devices that are in “stand by”. These include VCRs, DVD players, computers, cell phone chargers, and microwave ovens.