Every vampire appliance in your home adding $100s to your energy bill and the secret worst offen… – The US Sun

RISING energy costs are proving to be a struggle for all of us but there are a few ways to bring your electricity bill down.

So-called vampire appliances suck energy even when turned off and they could be key to cutting hundreds of dollars in energy costs per year.

1

A Natural Resources Defense Council studyin 2015 found that energy consumption from inactive appliances costs the average household about $165 annually.

Meanwhile, the cost could be as high as $440 per household based on top-tier rates.

The NRDC analyzed energy usage data from smart meters in 70,000 US homes and found an average of 65 vampire power loads.

According to the Department of Energy, vampire appliances and electronics account for 10 percent of energy used in an average home.

By working out what your most costly utilities are around the house you can stand to save hundreds this year, depending on how much you pay for energy.

The culprits are in every room of your house, so we've broken down the top offenders.

Note that newer devices may have a lower "vampire" rating, unless they have "instant on" or "quick start" modes like many other TVs.

While a TV alone only racks up about $10 worth of phantom loads per year, everything its connected to can add weight to your bill.

If you have a cable box, youre likely losing another $10 annually while its turned off, and the same goes for audio or speaker systems you may have linked to your TV.

The worst offender is the DVR, which can drain up to $30 worth of electricity each year.

Gaming consoles draw power while turned off too, and can cost you a few dollars per system over a year.

All told, you could reduce your bill by $20 to $70 by unplugging - and not just clicking off - your entertainment systems.

With so many wires involved, you might want to consider getting asurge protector. It can manage and eliminate multiple loads at once by flipping one switch.

The same goes for your speakers too, just turn them off or unplug them when they're not needed.

Weve all made the simple mistake of leaving a light on at home when we leave, and in small doses this can be a harmless offense.

Over time, though, the energy costs of forgetting to flip the switch seriously add up due to the sheer number of lightbulbs in a typical home.

Depending on how energy efficient your bulbs are, you could be costing yourself up to one cent for each hour you leave the lights on, per bulb.

Now think about a room with four bulbs - if you leave those lights on while sleeping every night for a year, youre costing yourself more than $50 annually on lights in one room that youre not even using.

Then, consider the fact that the average American home has around40 lightbulb socketsand youll see how much of a difference lights can make.

Another common feature in our homes is the cooling unit.

Cooling typically accounts for 21 percent of an average household's utility bill, making it the second-biggestannual expense.

Leaving fans andair conditioning unitson for extended periods of time can leave a major mark on your bill.

The Sunfoundthat leaving an AC on overnight can add as much as $50 to your bill in a month.

While a fan uses less energy, it can still bump up that bill, adding $10 or more to the monthly total if you run it every night.

To save, turn those fans and ACs down or off when you leave your house.

It's bad news if you're working from home, as computers can be costly for two reasons.

While most people think that turning them off kills the flow of energy, it doesn't, and second, the supplementary devices like monitors, modems, printers, and routers prove to be costly phantoms as well.

However, some devices, like routers, should stay on even when not in use to ensure reliable connection during active hours.

It means the savings strategy isnt as straightforward as bundling everything into one power strip and flipping the switch.

Many experts recommend turning off your computer if you plan to be inactive for more than 20 minutes, and shutting down the computer and monitor when youll be away for two or more hours.

By properly turning off your computer and monitor, and keeping your printer unplugged when not in use, you can save around $25 per year.

Its common to leave anything from phones to laptops and electric razors plugged in overnight to charge.

None of these will amount to more than a handful of dollars over a year, but you could be sentencing your wallet to death by a thousand cuts.

If youre living alone and generally only charge your phone overnight, the savings on your bill will be so minimal that it may not be worthwhile to unplug your charger when its not in use.

But if you have multiple devices on the hook or live with others, the costs can stack quickly while the effort it takes to pull some plugs is minimal.

Depending on how many chargers you usually have plugged in at once, you can save upwards of $20 annually by yanking a few when theyre not in use.

Coffee will not only give you a boost in the morning, but it will also give a raise to your electric bill.

Thats an extra $2 to $4 towards your electric bill per month, or between $24 and $48 per year.

According toFull Coffee Roast, a Bunn coffee machine will use 1.1 kilowatts of energy daily.

Old refrigerators, washing machines, microwaves, and toaster ovens can be among the worst offenders too.

Although you might have to lay some money out of pocket for a new piece of equipment, old models tend to be less energy-efficient.

For example, the National Resource Defense Council said that you could save $100 per year by replacing a 1980 manufactured refrigerator with a new Energy Star model.

Additionally, the environmental advocacy group claims you could save $110 annually by switching out a washing machine before 1994 with an Energy Star brand.

As the weather gets hotter, you'll also want to keep fans around the house in mind.

This not only includes the ones on your ceiling but portable ones as well.

The average wattage of a fan is 110, costing $111 per year, according toGOBankingRates.

Make sure that they are unplugged or that the switch is off when youre not using them.

For portable fans, you might even be able to set a timer to control usage.

There are a few other actions to take to reduce your energy bills, apart from simply unplugging the device.

To further slash your utility bill, see if you qualify forVerizon's free internetservice initiative.

And check outthis financial expert's creative adviceto save up to $75 each month on streaming subscriptions.

Read the original:
Every vampire appliance in your home adding $100s to your energy bill and the secret worst offen... - The US Sun

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero