You may not know it but you probably have vampires in your house. By vampire I’m referring to vampire power. This is the electricity your home electronics and appliances suck out of the power grid (and out of your wallet) when not in use. Many of the electronics around the house suck vampire power to a greater or lesser degree.

Sure, electronics can improve our quality of life, but these vampires can also unnecessarily waste energy and money. By some estimates vampire power can add up to 10% to your electric bill. Most of this wasted power is consumed by inefficient power supplies and electronic components that are getting power unnecessarily. It is estimated that electronics manufacturers could potentially reduce vampire power consumption by up to 30% by using better technologies. So how do you determine what electronics are vampires? Generally speaking, most electronics and devices that have standby power or recharge other devices are sucking power while plugged in.

Some examples of electronics and appliances that are vampires are microwaves, home audio equipment, TV’s, and computers. Basically anything with internal clocks and sensors, external clock displays and panel display LEDs, TV and audio remote control sensors, battery rechargers and power-conversion packs.