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I’m sure everyone has been told to turn off the lights to save energy, but another way that energy is often wasted is through something called “vampire energy” or a “ghost load.” This refers to energy that devices or appliances consume even when they are not turned on or in use. Some big contributors are TVs, game consoles, computers, appliances, printers, and other devices. Not to mention that the average American has over 50 devices plugged in at a given time, meaning that there is A LOT of potential for ghost loads. It is estimated that these ghost loads can account for around 15% of the average American’s energy bill and costs Americans roughly $19 billion per year.
Energy Saving by the Dollar
According to Energy Star, the average American spends over $2000 per year on energy bills -although many spend well over $3,000. Here’s how you can lower these numbers.
1. Unplug devices by the outlet. Instead of unplugging the wire from your phone/laptop etc. when charging, simply unplugging the charger entirely ensures you don’t accidentally leave chargers plugged in to burn energy. You can also try to find alternatives to charging devices at night because most devices will finish charging well before you wake up in the morning.
2. Change your Laundry (and water-related) Habits. It takes a significant amount of energy to heat water, so consider using cold water in your washing machine. Running one hot load of laundry will costs an average of 68 cents, while cold loads average at just 4 cents. This means you will save $120 if you run a load of laundry every other day and $230 if you run one every day! Despite popular belief, using cold –or compromising with warm water – will still clean your clothes well with detergent, is much gentler on clothes, and will extend their life.
Beyond laundry, reducing the use of hot water entirely will also save money/energy. You can look into setting a timer on your hot water heater or controlling it remotely, so that it doesn’t waste energy during the night or when you are out of town.
3. Switch to LED light bulbs. By switching from incandescent to LED lightbulbs, the average American can save over $180 dollars a year.
4. Invest in Smart Power Strips. All devices that plug into an outlet consume energy even when they are not in use. So, by plugging in devices such as TVs, game consoles, and other appliances into smart power strips, you can connect to an app, manage what devices get turned on, and even set timers to ensure maximum energy – and money – savings. Also, most new TVs are in a high energy mode called “showroom” when purchased, so make sure to turn this off when you’re setting up a new TV on settings. The amount of money you save from these adjustments can vary depending on what type of TV you have, whether you have gaming consoles, or if you have a DVR player. By making these adjustments, you can easily save $100.
5. Unplug your printer. Going with this theme of unplugging devices, you can save up to $80 dollars a year by unplugging your printer when it is not in use.
6. Shutdown your desktop or laptop. Instead of keeping these devices in sleep mode, shutting them down at least during the night can save you up to $75 and $15 respectively – or just forego the desktop entirely in favor of a laptop!
7. Check your windows. By sealing or insulating your windows you can save up to $200 in heating and cooling fees by reducing your heating and air conditioning demands. This can be done with caulk or other materials. You can also improve insulation by shutting your fireplace damper when not in use.
8. How are you streaming? Studies have shown that using a gaming console for streaming services such as Netflix can use up to 45x more energy than other streaming consoles. The good news is, even if you don’t have a smart TV to use instead of a gaming console, many companies such as Verizon have a setting that enables you to set up Netflix and other services as its own channel.
9. Install a Smart Thermostat. By installing a smart thermostat, you can adjust it based off of your schedule and sleeping habits (lowering heat while sleeping), so that you don’t need to pay for heating while at work all day or air conditioning when you are vacationing.
10. Use Energy Star Appliances. When shopping for an appliance, look for the Energy Star logo. This signifies that it is an energy efficient appliance and is likely to save you money in the long run – these appliances can use up to 50% less energy than similar devices.
11. Managing Refrigerators and Ovens. Who knew that empty fridges use MORE energy than full ones? Just another good reason to get fresh produce! In ovens, when your food is close to being done, turning off the oven will save you some energy – the burners can take a long time to cool down so don’t waste all of that heat. Also, no peeking. Opening an oven can decrease the temp by 25 degrees F! Finally, the dirtier the oven, the longer it takes to heat up, so get in there and clean! – Just don’t close yourself in.
12. Adjust your fan. Many people don’t realize that when a fan rotates counterclockwise, it cools, but when it is adjusted clockwise, it will help move around hot air in cold months, in part because heat rises.
13. Increase your AC and heating units’ efficiency. This can be as basic as removing obstruction from vents, closing vents in rooms you rarely use, cleaning the AC and heating filters monthly, and regularly checking/cleaning the AC compressors.
14. Maximize Lamp Light. By using a light-colored shade and placing a lamp in a corner, you can increase the amount of light it gives off because the light will reflect off of two walls.
15. When to open/close blinds. In warm seasons, closing blinds when you leave a room will reduce the amount of heat you let in. In cold seasons, leaving them open will warm up the house.
- Made it to the end? Obviously, you are not going to be able to follow all of the adjustments perfectly and there are bound to be issues you cannot fix, but conservatively you could save around $550 by making some of these – mostly- simple adjustments to your energy habits. While some of these suggestions do require small investments, in the long run, these tips are bound to save you money. Not to mention the countless environmental benefits to living a low energy lifestyle!
- Want to calculate ghost loads in your house? Use: Vampire Energy Calculator
- Do these changes seem daunting? Consider installing the Emporia Energy monitor to manage energy weaknesses in your home and reduce energy bills.
Thanks so much for reading and for the nice comments!
Great article Emma! You provide some good tips that I never thought of. And providing a link to calculate ghost loads is very helpful. Keep up the great work!
Thanks, I hope this helps you cut back on your energy usage!
I had no idea about the printer. Great point. Thanks.
Thanks for these tips!
Are you inspired by the possibility of a sustainable economy? I publish @EarthAccounting in Twitter
I’ve learned with my family that people aren’t going to change their habits if they don’t want to, but providing hard facts and evidence can’t hurt. Also a power strip might be a way to compromise, because you can turn it on and off. It’s a lot easier to make these changes when they require little to no effort, so setting power strips, lights, etc. on timers is a great way to basically make the change for them. I also like to remind people that whether you use these suggestions for the environment or to save money, you are making a positive change in your life and the world, so there are very few downsides and it will bring you good.
Emma, these are fantastic points. Any tips on how to convert my husband? Ha ha. When I owned my home in Baltimore, I used to keep things unplugged until I needed them. My husband doesn’t like that now, so he doesn’t really support it. But I’ll keep trying! Oh, and I had no idea a printer drew that much energy!
Thank you for reading! Some of the adjustments are so simple and impactful, and it’s an awesome time to take a look at your energy consumption while we’re all stuck inside.
Hi Emma, I thoroughly enjoyed reading all you helpful energy saving tips. Although some of them I already do, but some are new to me. I am going to try some of these very helpful tips. Thank you!
So happy to hear that Julie!
These tips are so helpful! I would love to try new ways to save money especially during these difficult times. Thanks!