GoKawiilYour home is harboring energy vampires -- and they're quietly draining your wallet. These aren't creatures of the night but the effect is much the same. The culprits are everyday appliances, devices and electronics that continue to draw power even after you've switched them off.
This phenomenon, known as standby power, is no small drain. The US Department of Energy estimates it accounts for 5% to 10% of residential energy use, costing the average household about $100 a year.
To find the worst in my home, I ordered a $12 power meter from Amazon and tested the passive power draw of nearly every device and appliance.
My goal? Determine which one wastes the most energy when off and whether it's worth unplugging the worst offenders when not in use. The winner (worst offender) shocked me; an unassuming piece of living-room tech that nearly every home has.
How I tested vampire energy drain
There were a few limitations to the project, the most notable being that I couldn't test my washer, dryer or oven. Those appliances use large 240-volt outlets and the power meter I bought only works with standard NEMA 5-15R outlets. I also wasn't able to properly test my fridge because there's no way to power it down while it's plugged in.
That said, I did test virtually every other device in my house that could be turned off or put into a sleep or standby mode. I went through my house, testing every appliance and device, including the exterior LED light strips I recently installed.
Common household energy vampires
I decided to catalog my results room by room. All told, I ended up testing tech in my home office, living room, kitchen, bedroom and the light strips outside. This is what I found.
The energy meter only works with AC outlets so I wasn't able to test 240-volt appliances, like washers and dryers. Alan Bradley/CNET
... continue reading