Don't Be A Sucker

An energy vampire is an electronic device that uses power even when it’s turned off or in standby mode. Computers, TVs, and cell phone chargers are all energy vampires. Did you know leaving your cell phone charger plugged in uses energy, even if there’s not a phone attached? You can slay these vampires by unplugging them when they’re not in use.

Nationally, energy vampires waste more than $10 billion a year. That’s 100 billion kilowatt hours - enough to power 10 million homes for a year! According to EPA’s ENERGY STAR program, U.S. households spend approximately $100 per year to power devices while not in use, roughly 8 percent of household electricity costs. Consumer electronics including audio, video, and telephony products account for 40 percent of low power mode consumption. Learn more at www.energystar.gov.

TVs are the biggest culprits, but cable boxes, DVD players, and video game consoles are also big drains. Computers suck less, but since schools generally have more of them, that can add up to MAJOR suckage.

Each time you conquer a room of vampires, take a picture and send it to us for another chance to win a $4,000 scholarship. The team that de-vamps the most rooms will win a $5,000 grant for their school.

No problem. Email your q’s to Hilary at sucker@dosomething.org. You can also check out EPA's latest podcast on Vampire Energy here.