National Vampire Awareness Day
Best Buy has declared today National Vampire Awareness Day. The big box retailer wants to help you ward off the vampires that take a BITE out of your wallet (their pun, not mine). We are of course talking about vampire power -- the energy that gets drained from the grid when we are not actively using our devices or even in our homes.
The biggest vampire culprits are computers, televisions and just about anything that remains in "stand by" mode while not in use. The Department of Energy suspects that 40% of all electricity used to power electronics is consumed while the products are "off."
In addition to watching out for energy vampires, you should also be an informed consumer. There has been some question on the blogosphere about just how much energy your cell phone charger actually consumes when your phone is not plugged in. So don't rush and and buy a fancy power strip unless you think that you can put it to good use.
It's Energy Independence Day! 
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-31-2008 @ 4:57PM
Rebecca said...
I started using powerstrips on our TV, stereo and computers at home about 10 months ago. I also started unplugging heat producing applicances when they are not in use and replacing light bulbs with flourescent ones. In that time, there's been a significant drop in monthly electrical usage from the previous year...10-30% depending on the time of year. Yes, it's worth it...Best Buy isn't yanking your chain this Halloween season.
www.greenat50.com
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10-31-2008 @ 5:00PM
kelly.leahy said...
Rebecca, thanks for the update. It's good to hear that it worked for you.
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