What about phantom power?
Is unplugging unused appliances really that big a deal?
Okay. Surely you’ve heard that if you want to save money, you need to unplug your computer. Or toaster. Or coffee pot. Whatever.
Utilities are a large part of our expenses. And electricity is a big offender. As residents, we want to do whatever we can to bring costs down. And, lets be honest, we want to do whatever is easiest.
All over the web are articles about “the top ten ways to be energy efficient” and such. A lot of them agree on this one idea: unplug unused appliances. The thought is that each appliance doesn’t cost you much on its own. But, once you total up the annual spending, phantom power can take a huge chunk of your bill.
So, lets dig into the myth. Is phantom power the big energy bad guy? Will unplugging unused appliances really be your knight in shining armor?
To begin, what even is phantom power? It goes by many names: phantom energy, vampire power, idle current, etc. It’s the energy plugged in appliances use when they’re idle or in standby. Or (supposedly) off.
The main energy hogs are devices with screens that stay on even when out of use (yes you, digital clock displays). Or, anything with a remote or charger.
Some people claim that phantom power is the true culprit of high-energy bills. Tatiana Schlossberg with the New York Times experimented with 30 home appliances to discover if phantom power could really suck up a quarter of electricity bills, as a Northern California study claimed. The numbers she recorded attested that phantom power claws ravenously at your wallet.
We recreated her experiment. And we weren’t impressed with what we saw.
From the washing machine (with a display), to devices with plugs and chargers (plugged in phones, computers, gaming consoles) everything drew a watt or less when left plugged in. The only data we recorded that agreed with the monumental numbers Tatiana saw was a coffee pot (curse you digital clock display!).
Others agree that the majority of plugged in devices really aren’t that dangerous. Michael Bluejay, who runs a site that discusses topics in connection to electricity, addressed the issue of phantom power. His report? Most things are a waste of time to unplug because of how little energy they consume. Other things (DVRs, devices with non-LED screens, water pumps) are worth unplugging. They’re the real energy hogs. Not TVs, or plugged in phones and computers. Which, unfortunately, are the easiest things to address. Sigh.
But there are others who think that every appliance is worth unplugging (or at least plugging into a power strip to gain some control). Over at How Stuff Works, the writers tested how much energy different appliances consume when “off”. Their research told them that by unplugging appliances like printers, speakers and computers, you could save an annual 5–10% on your electric bill.
So. Is phantom power worthy of all our attention? Or are there better savings opportunities to pursue?
Let’s put it this way. Phantom power is a cost, whether you agree that it’s 1% or 10% of your electricity bill. And dropping costs is good! But, where should you be focusing your attentions? Is unplugging appliances going to be the saving grace of your utility bill?
Instead, why not focus on buying Energy Star appliances, which will save energy when they’re in use, too? Or why not learn about peak load times and do your best to avoid using energy then? And, let’s be honest, the real focus should be on heating and cooling anyway. Want to know about more energy efficient solutions? Why not use an energy monitoring system that could tell you exactly where you’re wasting, and provide personalized feedback? Like PowerSage?
*Cough, cough*
Just saying.
We all want to lower our costs. And by saving energy we can do that and reduce our collective carbon footprint. At the same time. There are easy solutions, and there are difficult money and time consuming ones. Let’s research the best answers and do our part to affect better change.
