Energy Saving Tips 2: Vampire Devices

A vampire device is a piece of electronic equipment that uses small amounts of energy when left switched on. Most modern electronic equipment will have some kind of continuous draw of electricity, from phone chargers to television sets.

The best way to combat vampire devices is to first identify what electronic equipment you have, how often you use that equipment, and where to turn off the equipment to stop the device from using electricity.

Some examples of vampire devices include:

  • Phone Chargers, wired and wireless

  • Laptop Chargers

  • TV

  • Stereo Systems

  • Soundbars

  • PC Monitors

  • Microwave

  • Dishwasher

  • Washing Machine

  • Smart Speakers

  • WIFI Transmitters

  • Battery Vacuum Chargers

  • Electronic Controlled Fans

As you can see the list could be endless depending on your personal needs. This list may be bigger or smaller, but they all consume electrical energy when in standby modes.

The best way to combat vampire devices is to have a physical disconnect from the electricity supply, something like a switch on a bedside lamp for example, or switching off at the wall.

Smart devices, such as smart speaker controlled devices will be drawing energy even though they are “off” as they need to remain on awaiting the command to turn “on”.

Here are a couple of examples of how to combat vampire devices:

  1. Working from home, you may be using a laptop and monitor as part of your home office set up. When you have finished for the day, shut your laptop down. Once it has turned off, make the effort to turn off the monitor and laptop at the socket outlet. This will stop your monitor and laptop charger consuming energy, especially if it has a light indicator.

  2. If you have a dishwasher or washing machine, after you have used the machine, and if it’s easily accessible, turn it off at the wall. This will turn off the internal computers that wake when you press the power button.

  3. A possible solution to vampires device is to install a timer so that any device that is not used at a certain time, overnight for example, is switched off. You should avoid, “smart timers,” as they themselves are vampire devices. Make sure the use of a timer is beneficial, that is, the timer uses less energy than the device it is turning on and off. 

Identifying and combatting vampire devices in your home can be a really beneficial step towards reducing your energy consumption, whilst saving valuable costs, so ensure to check around your home for them, and always try to turn off by the plug instead of leaving on standby, if possible.

Megan Baker