A phantom load is the electricity consumed by an appliance or electrical device when it is not actively being used or is in the “off” mode.
These electrical devices are sometime called “Power Vampires.”
Though they may only consume a few watts when not in use, but over an entire
year, a few watts can add up to almost 5%-10% of a home’s annual power usage
according to the Department of Energy.
To prevent Power Vampires from drawing phantom loads and raising your electric
bill, unplug any devices that are not in use and do not require power. If your
home is typical, you live with 20 vampires. Power Vampires include rechargeable
battery chargers (for laptop, phone, music player, etc.), TVs, DVD players and
VCRs, cable boxes and modems, answering machines, fax machines, and printers.
Using inexpensive power strips that can be shut off when devices are not in use can also prevent phantom loads. Before leaving home on long vacations you can turn off all of the Vampires.
Though a different topic, when leaving for even a couple of days simply turn the hot water heater off or at least to “Pilot” if it is a gas fired unit.
