Defining Vampire Power
Author: Steve Hegarty
Standby power is often referred to as Vampire Power because it bites into your bank account and harms the environment. It can be easy enough to control with a few simple solutions such as pulling the plug! But often in heavy duty areas such as the entertainment section or the office electricity switches are often in areas that are hard to reach (which is where something like a multiple remote control standby saver can help).
What is Vampire Power? It is also known as standby power and phantom load. Other terms are vampire energy, leaking energy, ghost load, wall warts, idle current, phantom power and vampire load.
The terms refer to the power many appliances waste, even if they are switched off just by being plugged in. If you are out for the day and you come back to find your gadgets warm, even if unplugged they have been WASTING electricity. If you need proof you can buy a simple electricity monitor plug to see just how much electricity they are eating.
There are various statistics but the general figure seems to be that standby power can account for up to 10% of your electricity bill!