How to Keep Electronic Devices from Leaking Electricity

Did you know that devices including printers, televisions and ovens use electricity even when they are not on? In fact, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, almost 25 percent of the power used by electronic devices and appliances is consumed when they are turned off.

Why Does Electricity Leak

Electricity leaks because certain devices never technically turn off; they either go into standby mode or continue drawing energy for digital display screens on devices. Your home or office may have up to 50 different devices and appliances that leak electricity. Even AC adapters draw electricity constantly whether or not a device is attached to them.

Standby mode is an especially large power sucker for offices because computer devices such as monitors, printers and scanners have to remain in standby mode so that they can be ready when they receive commands from connected computers.

How to Prevent Leakage of Electricity

One of the best ways to prevent leakage of electricity is to make sure devices are powered off fully when they are not in use, and there are some excellent new products that are designed specifically to help you do this. Smart plugs, smart surge protectors and timers can be your energy saving partners.

Smart Plugs

Smart plugs work with both smart phones and tablets. With an easily downloadable app, they allow you to turn devices on and off and create on/off schedules for your devices. The D-Link myLink Wi-Fi Smart Plug even has free remote management cloud service.

Smart Surge Protectors

Smart surge protectors have power-saving outlets which automatically cut power to idle equipment, so if your computer goes to sleep, a smart surge protector will cut power to any connected devices, including printers and scanners. APC makes a variety of highly-rated smart surge protectors.

Timers

While timers may be a bit more old school, they still offer a great solution for saving energy on basics such as lamps, portable heaters, fans and the like. Timers can be set to ensure that devices turn on at the start of a work day and off at the end of the day.

Fun Fact

Leaking electricity is known by several other sinister names including vampire power, vampire energy, vampire load, phantom load, phantom power and ghost load. And AC adapters are often called wall warts.