How to De-Fang Vampire Power

The modern household has numerous electronic appliances that improve our daily lives. However, few people actually know how much energy (and money) is used by these devices. Fortunately, there are tools available to help measure the energy consumption of their electronics and help manage power consumption. Once you know the consumption, you can take steps to reduce it.

In an interview conducted by The Wall Street Journal, ecobeco’s Reuven Walder notes “It might surprise you just how many kilowatts your cable box uses.” This is due to something called ‘vampire power’, which is the power used by a device while it is not in use. TVs, computers, monitors, scanners, printers, DVD players, video game players – these are just some examples of devices that use power waiting for you to turn them on. To find out the amount of energy each individual product uses while it is on or off, you can use a ‘Kilowatt Meter’. To purchase one, click here.

Other reasons to measure a major household appliance such as refrigerator or TV is to understand the benefits of switching to newer, more efficient technologies. Once you know how much you spend to operate your appliances, you can make better decisions on what to purchase when you replace it. ecobeco generally tells customers never to replace perfectly good appliances only for energy savings. But when an appliance is beyond its estimated useful life, replace it with the most efficient one you can find. To find out more about energy efficiency and appliances, please visit the ENERGYSTAR website here.

A great solution for Vampire Power is to use a “smart strip”, which retails for about $30 and is available here. This power strip doubles as a surge protector. The strip's sensor cuts the power to devices plugged into it when they are switched into standby mode, totally eliminating Vampire Power. Smart strips also come with always on plugs, so you can keep your DVR running all the time, even while you cut power to your stereo system with the blinking clock.

Evidence of Combustion Spillage

If your gas water heater or gas furnace have a significant amount of rust or if nearby copper pipes are corroded and green, you may have a serious safety and efficiency concern that needs to be addressed. These symptoms are often the result of flue pipe venting issues. The discoloration you see is due to the corrosive and potently poisonous gases produced by these appliances entering your home rather than being vented to the outside – a serious health and safety concern.

Furthermore, when gas heaters are not vented or not operating properly you are potentially spending more money to operate these appliances. During a whole home energy audit, we conduct combustion appliance safety and efficiency testing to identify these concerns and help you to implement the solutions to fix them.

Top Plate Gaps

This shows a large gap between attic floorboards. This allows conditioned air to leak from your living area into your attic and vice versa. Thus, you lose your filtered, conditioned air and you receive dirty air that has mixed with dust and dirt from your unfinished spaces.

Small gaps can be fixed with foam or caulk, and large gaps should be fixed by an air sealing professional. Fixing these gaps should save you money and improve your air quality.