Vampires are real. These dark mythical creatures may not be as fictitious as we have hoped. The vampires I am talking about do not live in drafty castles, and have Romanian accents; rather, they live in your home, hide in electronic equipment, and drink energy! This domestic villain is “vampire power” also know as standby power, which is energy consumed by electronic devices left in standby mode, rather than completely turned off. Vampire power is known to account for over 20% of all residential appliance electricity consumption and up to 10% of total residential electricity consumption (Appliance Efficiency Newsletter Vol 5 2001). This translates to several hundred dollars per year!

 During this Halloween season, rather than stocking up on garlic to ward off these creatures of the night, purchase a power strip for your entertainment center and watch the savings pile up!