 |
|
Phantom load
Your house is probably haunted…by a phantom load. This is the small but not insignificant amount of energy that some of your appliances-including your television, stereo, answering machine, and microwave oven-are using when they are turned off. It's definitely a little spooky: Appliances that contain clocks or timers, or that have remote controls and/or "instant on" features, are sneakily sipping away at your power 24 hours a day. Unplugging the devices when you're not using them-or plugging them into a power strip with an on/off switch-is often the only way to avoid this waste of power. It's enough to make you wonder what else is going on when your back is turned. |