Are Your Devices Secretly Draining Your Wallet in Washington?

These days we have all kinds of mobile devices, not just our cell phones, but laptops, smart speakers, iPads, and other tablets that all require one thing. An external power supply that you plug into the wall and then plug into your device, we call them wall warts. 

The question for today is.  

What is that power supply doing when it's not plugged into your device? 

According to msn.com,
‘Forgetting to unplug a charger once or twice isn't likely to cause any noticeable differences. However, make a habit of constantly leaving every charger you use plugged into various outlets throughout the home. It can lead to significant consequences for your home, devices, chargers, and wallet.’ 

The first thing to remember is that it's called a power supply for a reason. When you plug it into the wall, it's in operation even if you don't have a device plugged into it. Admittedly the power it draws is less when there's no device plugged into it, but it's still drawing power. 

It's called vampire energy or phantom load. The largest phantom load you're going to find will probably be in your entertainment center. Depending on the age of your TV, leaving it plugged into the wall even when you're not using it can use anywhere from 20 to 40 watts an hour. So that's about the same as leaving a 20 or 40 Watt light bulb plugged in 24 hours a day. 

I understand that you kind of need to leave your smart TV plugged in because there's all sorts of preprogrammed information that you put into it that it may not retain if you unplug it every day. (Things like time and date.)  

When you look at modern power supplies for laptops, tablets and cell phones, the phantom Load is not that great. (0.05 watts) In fact, it's pretty difficult to even measure unless you're running 10 or 15 power supplies on one circuit.  

When you consider that the average price of electricity across the United States is around 15.20 Cents per hour the cost of that wasted electricity can add up. But if you live in Chelan or Douglas counties here in Washington state the cost of electricity is very reasonable. In fact, it's the lowest in the United States. (For Chelan County, 2.7 cents a kWh.) That low cost doesn't give you an excuse to waste the electricity But it is something to celebrate. 

So some power hogs to watch out for. 

Older smart electronics like TV's and cable boxes. 

Charging stations for Garden equipment  

Charging stations for power drills and saws. 

There are a few things you can do to make things a little bit easier for you when you're trying to save electricity. 

Plugging all of your outboard chargers into a power strip makes it much easier for you to turn them all off when you're not using them. 

Teach the members of your household to unplug charging systems when they're not using them. 

Invest in smart plugs and smart charging strips with timers. 

Remember, depending on the charging system you're using. You could be burning the equivalent to leaving a light bulb on 24 hours a day.
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