What is “Vampire Power”?

Don’t let your electricity bills trick you this Halloween. Standby power, also known as “vampire power”, “vampire draw”, “phantom load” or “ghost load”, refers to energy that is consumed by appliances and other equipment when turned off.

It’s often used to describe common everyday devices that use a small amount of power even when they’re not active.

For example: A coffee maker that isn’t brewing, a TV and/or cable box that is plugged in even while turned off, or a computer that’s not being used.

You may not think much of it, but these devices can actually reflect up to 20% of your monthly electricity usage on your monthly bill.

By replacing some of your household items with more energy efficient products (like LED light bulbs) and unplugging your appliances when you’re not using them can make a huge difference not only in your energy costs, but in reducing wasteful energy that is contributing to pollution. Cut down on “vampire power” even more by installing solar panels on your roof or property — you’ll be generating cleaner, cheaper and more efficient energy overall and will start seeing significantly reduced monthly bills.