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Save on Your Home Energy Bill: Locate and Eliminate Phantom Loads

By Solar energy | November 12, 2008

Locate and Eliminate Phantom Loads

Kill A Watt model P4400

Image via Wikipedia

Whether you’re just trying to reduce your energy bill or reduce your energy load anticipating adding solar, paying attention to your phantom load use deserves your attention.

What is a phantom load? The term phantom load is a euphemism for electronic devices that draw electricity even when we think they are off. Devices that fall in this category are computers, cell phone chargers, ipod chargers, and TVs.

If you want to know how many kilowatt-hours those small devices use, get yourself a Kill-a-Watt meter. Plug your device into the Kill-a-Watt meter for 24 hours and see for yourself how much energy it uses.

You can also get a power strip to plug all your small devices into. Simply cut the power strip off rather than trying to remember to unplug several different devices.

About your computer: A good rule of thumb is to turn your computer off if it will not be in use for two (2) hours or more. That pretty little screen saver working while your computer is idle cost you in kilowatt-hours.

WARNING: While turning off your computer is good, cutting the power to your computer’s modem is not a good idea. Check with your computer professional for the best way to save energy and keep your computer in good health.

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Topics: home energy bills, Home Energy Use, Reducing energy use | No Comments »

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