Okay, so you read my title already... But it's not what you think. I swear! Today is Vampire Awareness Day - this is true. What's not true is that it's Vampire Awareness Day because Halloween and Trick or Treating is upon us.
We're talking about a different kind of vampire. The kind that doesn't suck the blood from your neck, but the money from your wallet.
No, it's not a day to call attention to your ex-wife... although, that would be funny.
The folks over at Best Buy have declared an awareness of energy vampires to help save you cash on your utility bills.
What is Vampire Power?
- Vampire Power is the electricity that consumer electronics and appliances use while they are switched off or in a standby mode.
- It is responsible for wasting an estimated $4 billion in the U.S. annually and the Department of Energy notes that this figure could rise by 20 percent by 2010.
- The average American home has approximately 20 to 40 electronics devices plugged in that abuse vampire power.
- These appliances can cost you close to $1,000 in electricity costs per year at current rates (more in the future if energy costs continue to climb). Even when they're not on.
- Use a power strip so multiple devices can be switched off at the same time
- Unplug your chargers from the wall when they are not in use
Go to the Vampire Awareness Day page (.pdf) to read a Fact Sheet with more details and what you can do to help.
Killing the vampires in your house is a great way to save money, save energy, reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, and help save the planet.
It's the green thing to do. And keeping a little money in your checking account is nice, too.
Also, if you need to do an Energy Audit of your home, ConstructionDeal.com can help. We'll match you with a local Energy Auditor to review your home and determine if your home is wasting even more energy and money.
It's a fast and easy process - simply submit your request and get up to 4 quotes from Home Energy Auditors in a matter of hours. At not cost.