As lawn and landscape companies increasingly electrify their outdoor power equipment, it makes sense to be aware of better ways to control electric bills. Many U.S. businesses are wasting hundreds of dollars per year on “phantom energy loads” in their office, often without realizing it according to the team at EpicGenerators.com. This problem is a result of electronics which appear to be switched off but are still using power day and night. The U.S. Department of Energy says that for some individual appliances up to 75% of their total energy usage occurs when they’re switched off.What are phantom energy loads?
A phantom load refers to electricity that’s being consumed by electronic devices and appliances even when you’re not using them. It’s easy to assume that just because a printer isn’t actually switched on that it’s not using any power. Or when a cell phone charger is plugged into an outlet, but not charging a device, then no electricity is being used. But this is usually not the case.
Many electronic devices are not actually switched off at all, even if you think they are. Standby mode unfortunately still requires power 24/7. And this costs you money. Working out which electronics have this issue and taking steps to fix it can save you hundreds of dollars each and every year.
“When you look into phantom power and which devices are wasting the most energy it can be a little shocking. The most surprising issue for most people is the fact that some electronics use almost as much power in standby mode as they do when they’re in active use,” says Ryan Turner, co-founder of backup power solutions retailer EpicGenerators.com. “This means that for some devices only being used a few hours per day you’re paying more in electricity just to keep them on standby than for the times you’re actively using them. It’s a huge problem.”
Identify & stop phantom loads.
Here 15 types of office electronics which use considerable amounts of power, regardless of whether we’re actually using them or not:
- Desktop computers (switched off or asleep)
- Fax machines
- Fans of all kinds
- Cell phone chargers (many other chargers too)
- Desktop computer monitors, printers, and speakers
- Laptop computers even if plugged in but NOT charging
- AC units
- Coffee makers and various other appliances
- Microwaves
- Surge protectors
Saving Money
How do you stop phantom loads? Here are tips:
- Obviously, simply unplugging things like your computer, printer and monitor will instantly put a stop to any phantom loads from these devices. If any device which causes a phantom load can be unplugged when not in use, then do it!
- Use power strips. If you have a group of electronic devices used together all at the same time such as computer, monitor, printer and speakers just plug all of these into one power strip. You can then unplug the power strip when the devices are not being used and they’ll all be completely disconnected from the power supply.
- Look into Smart Power Strips. These are power strips which automatically stop all power to any device that’s not being used. Then you don’t have to worry about unplugging anything.
EpicGenerators.com is a specialist retailer of backup power equipment including generators and solar energy solutions from a range of leading brands.
Read the full article "Save Money On Electricity Bills By Stopping ‘Phantom Loads’" on Turf Magazine.