Attack of the Phantom Load

What is a phantom load?

A phantom load is the invisible power consumption in your home as a result of “standby power.” This is a term used to describe the electricity products such as televisions, DVD players, microwaves, cordless phones that use power even when we’ve turned them off. Standby power keeps the clocks, timers, remote controls and other features on our home electronics working, and makes sure they are standing by and ready to go the instant we press the button. The biggest user of phantom loads is the personal computer.

These products don’t consume a lot of electricity in standby mode, but it does add up – and as more and more household products incorporate electronic features that require standby power, the total is growing. An average Canadian home could have 25 or even more products that use standby power, accounting for as much as 10 percent of annual electricity consumption.

How can you help?

There are other ways to reduce the energy wasted by standby power rather than plugging and unplugging our appliances every time. If the device is plugged in a place that is too hard to reach to unplug, then plug it into a power bar and put the power bar in a location that is easier to get at and then simply turn off the power bar when you are finished.

If you are in doubt about whether or not something has a phantom load, assume that it does and unplug it. Obviously, there are essential appliances that you can't unplug like your refrigerator and freezer, but almost everything else can be unplugged when it's not in use. You will be surprised at how many kilowatts can be saved by getting rid of those pesky phantom loads!

Check around your home for things that are plugged in that you may have forgotten about that are seldom used. A television not in use but still plugged in can draw that pesky phantom load every hour of every day! Check that extra freezer in your basement to see how full it really is and how old the stuff is that is in it. Maybe you don't really need an extra freezer or possibly you could get away with a smaller freezer. A lot of people have an ancient beer fridge in their basement or garage that has nothing in it or very little. Again get rid of it or get a newer, smaller fridge that better suits your requirements for beer!

If you have outside lighting at night, turn it off in the morning. Having outside lights on during the day is a huge waste of power! If you can't remember to turn them off in the morning, put them on a day/night sensor. Stay away from timers if possible. They use power waiting to turn the lights on!

Look for the ENERGY STAR ® label if you are planning on purchasing any new electronics.

A laptop computer uses less power than a desktop. Don’t utilize screen savers. If your computer must be left on, enable the “sleep” or “power save” mode.

How much can we save?

Lots. The Government estimates that if all products consuming standby power used only one watt in standby mode, we can save the electricity used by more than 400,000 homes. A typical household would cut its electricity cost by at least $35 a year.

 The Benefits of all of Your Hard Work!

The benefits are multiple. First of all, you will be saving money on your electricity bill. How much you save is really up to you, depending on how far you want to take this. Secondly, you will be setting a good example to your family as well as other people in your life. When you see the results of your efforts, you will talk to others about what you have done and they will begin to think about how they could put these energy saving practices into use in their homes as well. And last but as far as we are concerned, most importantly, you will be doing your part to leave a smaller imprint on the planet.