Comments on: Vampire Power Sucking Money From Your Wallet

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:37:35 +0000

I had the chance to do some detailed measuring of actual power being consumed using a Watts up .NET meter, accurate to 1.5%

People, we are being duped.

http://open4energy.com/forum/grn/msr/energy_measuring_watts_up_09071445

Take a look at the real results! I have two strips thanks to a generous vendor, and am happy to have the clean power. But with regard to the energy you can save, the Kill-a-Watt is not giving you correct readings at this level.

Do remember that there are 3,600,000 Joules in a Kilowatt Hour, for 11.5 cents.

We do need to make these savings, but they all require us to change how we use energy. Turn a light off, get out of the shower sooner, set your power settings on the laptop, open the blinds, and be aware!

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:19:53 +0000

open4energy has just completed an energy study on recharging a BlackBerry.

In summary:

Cost of electricity charging the BlackBerry each year: 12.5 cents
Cost of vampire effect: $1.26

Our result of 90% wasted energy (or what I call the charger pretending to be a small wall heater) is consistent with the 40% quoted by many articles. In our example the BlackBerry required only one hour for charging, leaving 23 hours for vampire power!

To see the full study visit the web page: http://open4energy.com/forum/hc/power/blackberry_charging

There is also a poll on energy awareness, we hope you will participate?

By: * How To Save Money - The 1,001 List Of Money Saving Tips And Ideas

* How To Save Money - The 1,001 List Of Money Saving Tips And Ideas — Thu, 14 May 2009 01:55:51 +0000

[...] include:Get an energy-use consultationConsider a heated mattress padUse power strips and stop the power sucking vampireTurn down your water heater20 Ways to Save Time and Money in the Kitchen – Patrick at Cash Money [...]

By: Ecoactive

Ecoactive — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:14:34 +0000

There's a new vampire slayer in town. The latest Smart Strip is very effective. See: http://www.beamingsun.com/market/energy/smart_strip.php

By: Ryan from Going Carless

Ryan from Going Carless — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:15:22 +0000

I have an outlet wired to a light switch. I have my powerstrip that powers my entertainment system hooked up to that. I just flip the wall switch. Other than that, I unplug everything: my electric toothbrush, microwave, battery chargers. I only turn off my modem and router if I’ll be gone for a few days.
There are times when literally the only thing drawing power in my apartment is my fridge.

I guarantee that over a month all of those little devices add up.

By: Pev

Pev — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:44:19 +0000

ohh wow – I definitely did not know credit card companies had that type of model. It seems extremely unfair and bias.

By: Kristy @ Master Your Card

Kristy @ Master Your Card — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 03:22:48 +0000

I have several of these smart power strips and I won’t go back. I don’t have a DVR or even cable, so I’m not worried about having them on at all. If it’s not in use, shut it off. I wasn’t very good about doing it manually, which is why I switched to these. I saved myself a ton of money in electricity because I’ve got the plasma TV with the home theater system, the desktop, the lap top, etc. It’s a lot of stuff plugged in and sucking up energy.

Now, as a sci-fi geekette, I feel compelled to tell you that, traditionally speaking, silver bullets were used on werewolves while wooden stakes killed the vampires. Just thought I’d point that out!

By: Bill Hutchison - Renovate Australia

Bill Hutchison - Renovate Australia — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:06:16 +0000

The guys over at Home Owners Blog did a pretty details audit on some of the stuff in their place and the power that is uses. They used a Kill-A-Watt meter for it, and came up with some very good results.

Here is the link:

http://www.catskillhouse.us/blog/kill-a-watt-meter-results/

By: Ash

Ash — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:47:09 +0000

@Heather,
We seem to be saving about forty dollars a month, on average, using regular power strips. It has been well, well worth it. Plus I love that we’re simply using fewer resources, aside from the boon to our wallets.
For example, we used over 500 fewer kWh this January than we did last January. That’s a lot! Our bill this January was about $50 less than last January, even though this January was about 10 degrees colder, on average.

By: Matt SF

Matt SF — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 18:45:17 +0000

@ Heather

I’ve seen cases where an electric bill was decreased 50% (or more) just by cutting vampire power. It works well if you get serious about it.