How to Eliminate Phantom Loads to Save Energy at Home

If you’re someone who prides yourself on being proactive when it comes to conserving energy in your home, then there’s a pretty good chance that you’ve done things like install a programmable thermostat, add some LED lights and put full loads into your dishwasher and washer and dryer.

But what have you done about the phantom loads that are in the various rooms of your house? If you’re not sure what phantom loads are, basically they are devices that continue to draw energy, even if they are turned off. How does this happen? Well, anything that is still attached to an outlet is still using energy even if it isn’t on.

If you’re curious to know about some of the things that you can do to eliminate phantom loads so that you can save even more money on your energy bills, we’ve got five ways for you below:

Unplug what you are not using. By far, one of the best things that you can do is walk throughout your house each night and make sure that what doesn’t needed to be plugged in (like your refrigerator, for example) is disconnected from its outlet. You’ll be amazed by the decrease you’ll see in your energy costs if you do.

Invest in a few power bars. If you happen to have something like an entertainment center in your living room or bonus room, then there’s a pretty good chance that you have more plugs than outlets for it. One way to remedy this issue is to invest in a power bar. That way, you can plug everything into one long strip. Plus, when you’re done for the day, you can turn off one switch on the bar and everything will go off at once.

Don’t rely on your computer’s screensaver. Whether you’re about to walk away from your computer for a couple of hours or you’re someone who prefers to leave it on overnight, don’t believe the myth that if you leave on your screensaver that it will conserve energy. Your better bet is to put it in “sleep mode”. That is an effective way to reduce some of the phantom loads in your home.

Purchase a home power meter. There are a lot of us who are consuming quite a bit of energy and we’re not able to figure out why. Something that can help us to solve the dilemma is a home power meter. It is able to detect the biggest energy drainers inside of our home. You can find one on Amazon.

Get some Energy Star label appliances. Say that you’re in the market to get a new HVAC unit. As you’re online reading about some of the latest models and the importance of preventative HVAC maintenance, make sure that you check out some units that have the Energy Star label on them. They can save you as much as 30-40 percent in energy costs on an annual basis and that’s definitely a way to eliminate phantom loads for good. For more information on Energy Star appliances, visit EnergyStar.gov.