You probably have some “vampires” lurking around in your house– and they are taking a bite out of your wallet.
With a lot of our consumer electronic devices plugged into electrical sockets — they constantly "suck" electricity, even when they are not in use. In fact, some electronic appliances can consume as much as 25 per cent of their full power even when they are switched off. But fear not! Follow the simple tips below to slay vampire power and sash your electric bills.
Unplug devices when not in use
Remember to unplug all your gadgets from the power socket when they are not in use or when your devices have already been charged. For instance, if the battery of your smartphone is fully charged after 40 minutes, there's no point keeping it plugged overnight. Manually unplugging electrical appliances is the best and cheapest way to handle "vampires".
Curb the idle time of your devices
Try to curb idle time on your gadgets, such as having your game console or laptop go into sleep mode after a short period. Simply setting your desktop to sleep mode or powering down your gaming console when you are not using it instead of keeping it paused for a prolonged period can help you slash down your electric bill considerably.
Plug electronic appliances into power strips
Power strips can switch the flow of power from on and off. Implying you can control the usage of power clusters of electronic devices to avoid additional consumption of electricity when you are away from home. Light switches that turn power outlets on and off can accomplish the same purpose with lesser effort. An advanced power strip turns off idle electronics without any additional or manual steps from you.
Switch to smarter upgrades
When it’s time to get rid of your old electronic appliances, consider replacing them with Five Star rated devices. These devices, unlike your average appliances, have a lower standby consumption and use less energy. This calculator will enable you to estimate how much energy it requires to power your appliances all around the year and will identify savings opportunities.
Switch to CFLs from incandescent lights
Incandescent bulbs consume too much energy. Switch to energy-efficient CFLs as they are more efficient than incandescent bulbs, and consume 50 to 80 per cent less energy. CFLs cost more but last longer and save more energy.
Try the simple tricks above to enjoy the real bargain.
