Energy Vampires: Don’t Allow Them To Overpower Your Home

Energy Vampires: Don't Allow Them To Overpower Your HomeMost people are conscious about how much electricity they use, especially in the summer when the cooling system runs hard to keep you comfortable. But do you give energy vampires much thought? They drive up your electric bills without you even knowing it, and the worst part is that you get nothing from that lost power.

If you look around your home for electronics that run on battery power, like your cameras, phones, game consoles or cordless tools, you may find you’re consuming power around the clock without knowing it. The easiest way to manage these energy vampires is to arrange the devices in one area and be diligent about unplugging the chargers. A surge protector may be the easiest way to organize and charge your devices, since you can turn everything off without unplugging them.

Computers also consume power, and in most cases, it’s the monitor that uses the most. All computers have power settings, so set them to shut off your monitor after it sits idle for a specific period. You can also change the sleep settings on your computer to save even more electricity.

Smart surge protectors might save you some power, too. These have several outlets in the strip that stay live even after you turn the surge protector off. Use these for programmable coffee pots, DVR players or anything else that requires a timer to run.

High definition televisions continue to use power when they’re off. Plasma televisions use the most, and larger televisions consume more than smaller systems. Check your television’s operating manual to see if you’ll lose your settings if it goes without power. If it won’t, then plugging the television into an outlet that powers off in a smart strip takes your television off the list of energy vampires.

Some of these strategies have the additional benefit of preventing potential damage in the event of a power surge.

Although your cooling system is not an energy vampire, it can use half the electricity you consume in the summer. Service and maintenance reduce the amount the amount of power it uses, lowering your bills. If you’d like to learn more, contact Overland Park Heating & Cooling. We’ve provided quality HVAC services for the greater Kansas City area since 1983.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). 

Overland Park Heating & Cooling services Overland Park and surrounding areas in Kansas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!     

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