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Did you know that Americans lose about $19 billion per year from electronic devices consuming energy when not in use?
According to an NRDC study done in 2015, this amount of wasted energy is attributed to something called “idle load electricity”, or phantom power.
Idle load electricity can occur when a device is plugged into an electric receptacle but the device is not physically connected (like a charger), when a device is plugged in but not in use (like an alarm clock or microwave), or when a device is plugged in but is turned off (like your TV).
In this article, you will learn exactly how you can save money on your electricity bill simply by unplugging your devices.
Read: The Frugal Habits of Wealthy Families
Why It’s Easy to Waste Energy
Americans want it and they want it NOW.
Who wants to wait 10-30 seconds for an appliance to boot up? Modern technology has to be thanked for this one.
Many appliances these days are fully equipped with standby and digital features that stay on even when the device is not in use to allow for a “quick start”.
While this is convenient, it comes with a price. These devices are wasting energy and
Read: 15 Ways You Are Wasting Your Money and What You Can Do About It
How does Phantom Energy work?
To understand how phantom energy works, I will be explaining how energy is transferred from an outlet to a charger.
First, let’s look at the phone charger.
Some chargers have a small red and green blinking light to indicate that the device is plugged in and is either charging or is charged. This light requires energy. The energy needed to produce this light is the demand, also known as the
Now let’s understand an electric current and circuit.
An electric current is the flow of electricity through a conductor, like the wires in your home, the metal in a receptacle, and the wires in your charger.
An electrical circuit is complete when the electrical current returns back to the source, like a circle.
Next, let’s take a look at the receptacle (outlet).
A receptacle has two or three prong outlets. The right side is the “hot” source, the left or shorter side is the “neutral” source, and the small one below is the “ground” source.
When you have a demand (like a
From the hot source, the energy travels through the metal in the receptacle to the prong and into the wiring of the charger to produce heat and emit light in the charger.
Then it works it’s way back to the source to complete the circuit. The electrical current returns to the receptacle on the “neutral” side and back to the electric panel to complete the circuit. This is when your phone is NOT plugged in but the charger is.
Here is a video explaining how it works.
Just think of all the light your devices omit when they are off.
Does your alarm clock always show the time? Your microwave? Your cable box?
Do you have a tiny light on your television that turns red when off? They are sucking energy while you are not using them.
Can You Really Save Money on Your Electric Bill by Unplugging ? Case Study
I’ve noticed that my electric bill has continued to increase overtime.
Naturally, as a money-saving fiend, I dedicated two full months to
For the entire month of August, September,
This included our cell phone chargers, laptop and charger, toaster, fan, sound machine, bathroom heater, aromatherapy diffuser, BOSE radio, lamp, and our TV/Cable box/Router.
After every use, I made sure to unplug each device from the wall outlet.
I was pretty religious about this except for our TV/Cable/Router. The only time I unplugged that was when I knew that no one would be home for the day.
Read: How I Saved $675 on my Utility Bills in 2 Hours by Doing This
Case Study Results for Unplugging My Devices to Save Energy and Money
Here were my results.
For comparison, I will include August 2017 vs September 2017 vs October 2017.
Then I will compare each month to the previous year for the same month. I did absolutely nothing else differently, just simply unplugged my
August 2017 kWt= 1574 ($218.46)
September 2017 kWt= 1672 ($233.64)
October 2017kWt= 1191 ($165.31)
August 2016= 1708 ($219.27)
September 2016 kWt= 1627 ($208.70)
October 2016 kWt= 1235 ($153.90)
Analyzing the results
Nationally, the average savings per household is $167 per year.
For August and October, I used
September 2017 had record temperatures so this may have masked any possible savings I would have had as I used more kilowatts in 2017 vs 2016. I suspect my AC was being overworked at this time.
If I continue unplugging, saving an average of $11 per month, my yearly savings would equal $132. It’s great for the environment to use less energy so unplugging is a win in my book.
***UPDATE: April 2019***
I use budget billing so my bill remains the same until it is averaged again. For this year, my bill decreased from $174 per month to $139 per month on my electricity bill. I continued to unplug my devices throughout the year as much as I could remember. This is equal to a savings of $420 per year for me!! Unplug those devices, y’all!
Top vampire energy devices
Cell phone chargers
Cable boxes
Internet routers/modems
Microwaves
Toasters
Washer/dryer
Coffee makers
Alarm clocks
Gaming boxes (Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo)
Printers
What You Can Do to Conserve Energy and Save Money on Your Electric Bill
Unplug
Challenge yourself to a month of unplugging and see how much you can save. If you have energy sucking devices like the ones listed above, think about unplugging them so see if it makes a difference in your home.
Purchase smart strips
Smart strips detect when a device is turned off or when there is a significant decrease in the load or demand. Then it turns the power completely off to the plug source to save energy while allowing the other sources to remain on. It’s convenient so that you don’t have to physically unplug your devices after every use.
Use energy efficient appliances
Energy efficient appliances are made to conserve energy. Choose smart devices and appliances that have the energy star.
Purchase a killowatt meter
Killowatt meters tell you how much energy is used. If you are interested in which devices are using the most energy in your home, use this. You’ll be surprised at which devices are sucking energy out of your home.
Visit UNPLUGSTUFF
Go to unplugstuff.com to perform an evaluation to see much your home’s idle load is costing you. It works with most electricity providers if you have the green button.
I’d love to hear how you save on your electric bill!
Those smart strips seem like a great idea. I’ve got a family of 7 so any money saving tips are welcome! Thank you
They are great whem you are lookimg to save energy. For a family of 7, that’s a whole lot of mouths to feed and I’m sure any little bit of savings will help. Family of 5 here.
Interesting! I didn’t know those before!
Glad to shed light on new ways to save! ????
OMG, such a huge wastage from the devices not in use! Didn’t knew that it can save the bill. Thanks for this really informative post!
Thank you! Yes, it’s a huge waste of resources. The fact that you can save as well makes it more attractive.
I try to unplug charges and the toaster and blender and such when not in use, because it’s good for the earth in general. But I admit I don’t unplug anything that needs to be programmed when it turns on. I don’t unplug the coffee maker. I’m very lazy LOL.
Sometimes, the thought of having to re-program and set the time for things can make it extra inconvenient. Especially if you rely on setting the coffee maker on auto for the mornings. I recently learned that even though our cable box is off, it can still record. I unplug that all the time now.
I think the smart strips sound like the easier option. I have a hard time always getting to outlets to mess with always unplugging things.
That is a very good point, Rachel. I definitely suggest using a power strip for those hard to reach areas where outlets are behind furniture.
these are good tips but I can see my husband pointing out that he’d rather pay to keep them plugged in to avoid the hassle of moving furniture just to plug something back in
Oh yes, moving furniture can be a hassle. A power strip might be a good investment for that reason. It can sense when a device is not in use and completely block all energy transfer to the device.
Wow. I had no idea!!!! Thank you for sharing this. We will be unplugging for sure.
Thank you Jillian! It’s such an easy thing to do and makes a big impact when we all can do it. Please let us know how much you can save.
This is really interesting. I wonder how much I would save if I started doing this.
Thanks for reading! The average American saves $167. Please let us know how much you save.
Many of my friends practice this and swear by it. I should probably start unplugging all of here devices everyday and test it out myself!
It’s a good habit to get into. Not only can you save money, but overall, it’s good for the environment too.
I had no idea about phantom energy and prett much everything in my house stays plugged in. Thanks for sharing. Looks like it is time to unplug!
I know right? Let us know how much you save. Thanks for stopping by!
I’m up for the challenge. Unfortunately we plug in more with Christmas lights so it might not be a good comparison month but January’s a good time to try it.
I agree. Christmas would be a bad time to do it. December uses the most energy due to lights around Christmas time. Starting out the new year with some savings would be great!
These are great tips! Thank you!
Thank you Carrie! Hope you can come back and share your saving with us.