The Dallas Morning News (free reg. req’d) has an excellent article by Terry Maxon about something that has been bothering me for a while – vampires. No, not the type that “vant to suck your blood,” they’re worse. These vampires are in the homes over eveyone reading the PowerPage and you probably have at least five to ten of them. These energy vampires are more commonly known as “wall warts,” “power supplies” or “ac adapters” but make no mistake about it, they’re vampires.
According to the article (Energy vampires drain current, cash) “Electronic gadgets now use 15% of a home’s electricity, sucking power even when off.”
They’ll be receiving video game players, mobile music players, the latest computers and televisions, many with the same characteristic – the ability to keep sucking down electricity even when they’re not in use.
It’s the power adapters that drain a little bit of electricity all the time, even though no device is plugged into them.
It’s the high-definition television that can pull more than 10 watts of power when it’s not turned on. It’s the computer that sips while it sleeps.
The Christmastime electronic harvest spotlights a quiet but expensive change in Americans’ habits: Even as refrigerators, dryers and other big devices get more efficient, consumers are pumping up their utility bills thanks to an ever-growing reliance on personal electronics.
Read the rest of the article at the Dallas Morning News.
The Dallas Morning News (free reg. req’d) has an excellent article by Terry Maxon about something that has been bothering me for a while – vampires. No, not the type that “vant to suck your blood,” they’re worse. These vampires are in the homes over eveyone reading the PowerPage and you probably have at least five to ten of them. These energy vampires are more commonly known as “wall warts,” “power supplies” or “ac adapters” but make no mistake about it, they’re vampires.
According to the article (Energy vampires drain current, cash) “Electronic gadgets now use 15% of a home’s electricity, sucking power even when off.”
They’ll be receiving video game players, mobile music players, the latest computers and televisions, many with the same characteristic – the ability to keep sucking down electricity even when they’re not in use.
It’s the power adapters that drain a little bit of electricity all the time, even though no device is plugged into them.
It’s the high-definition television that can pull more than 10 watts of power when it’s not turned on. It’s the computer that sips while it sleeps.
The Christmastime electronic harvest spotlights a quiet but expensive change in Americans’ habits: Even as refrigerators, dryers and other big devices get more efficient, consumers are pumping up their utility bills thanks to an ever-growing reliance on personal electronics.
Read the rest of the article at the Dallas Morning News.
