BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR VAMPIRES

This time of year, lots of us are decorating our homes with all things spooky. But there’s something else lurking around the house year-round that you probably aren’t thinking about: vampire appliances.
Sounds like a bad horror flick, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, it’s all too real. Vampire appliances are electronic devices like televisions and game consoles that continue drawing power even when you think you’ve turned them off. And because they’re drawing power, they’re adding to your energy bill.

In fact, vampire appliances account for about 10 percent of an average household’s energy bill, according to the Association of Energy Services Professionals. As a whole, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that idle gadgets waste more than 100 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually—costing consumers a terrifying $10 billion each year.
How many vampire appliances are in your home? Here’s a list of the top 10, in order of their energy-sucking appetite:
1. Flat-screen TVs
2. Home computers (laptops and desktops)
3. Video game consoles
4. Digital video recorders
5. Cable boxes
6. Cable modems
7. Laser printers
8. DVD players
9. Cell phone/tablet chargers
10. Small appliances, such as microwaves, toasters ovens and coffee makers
If you’re not sure whether an electronic device or appliance is an energy vampire, first check the plug. Many have rectangular adapter boxes on their plugs that stay warm even when the devices are off, indicating they’re still drawing power. Others use standby power to always run digital clocks or display lights.
The good news is that you can have the upper hand in warding off these vampires, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars each year. Here are five tools at your disposal:

• Unplug: One way is simply unplugging any appliances, electronics and chargers that aren’t in use.
• Buy smart: Of course, if you’re like me, you’re spooked by the thought of another thing on your to-do list. In that case, consider advanced power strips. These cost a bit more than standard power strips, but they have different plugs for different types of devices. They’ve helped households achieve energy savings of nearly 50 percent.
• Auto power-down: For TVs and game consoles, you can rely on the automatic power-down feature, which turns off the device after a certain length of inactivity.
• Go green: Vampires or not, it’s always better for the environment and your bank account when you buy appliances and devices that are energy efficient.
• Home energy checkup: And if you’re interested in more ways to save on your energy bill, spend a few minutes online with PG&E’s Home Energy Checkup, which you can find at www.pge.com/homeenergycheckup.

PG&E wants to help all of our customers keep their energy bills as affordable as possible. For you, it could start with slaying a few vampires.

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