Phantom Load
During the month of October, I decided to try a little test with my power bill because I've been hearing a lot of about phantom load. This is the "forgotten" electrical power that is constantly in use in your home. You know the VCR that forever blinks 12:00, etc.
I decided to go thru our home and unplug electric devices that I do not use every day. I unplugged the digital clock in my guest bedroom, the blender in my kitchen that has a digital screen on it. I even unplugged my computer/printer/modem/speakers and one of my TV's every night for a month.
I looked over my latest power bill and found that in October 2007 we had consumed 2893 KWH. This month we used 2340 KWH. That is a difference of 553 KWH. I'm going to continue to do this and see if a trend develops. But I was pleased with the results so far.
Try it at your house and let me know if you see a reduction in the amount of KWH your family uses.
You can find prior year and prior month usage information right on your electric bill each month. Think of it as a digital scavenger hunt ~unplug the things that aren't being used and your bank account will be the winner!
See prior blurbs:
Blurb I
Blurb II
7 comments:
Wow - that is quite a lot of wattage saved. I think I'd better get on to it over here too.
Thanks for visiting me in Sweden!
I had heard of this before, but was too lazy to try. But now that you´ve proven it, I will definitely be unplugging more than I used to.
Loved your comment on my blog today. Can´t wait to hear how you like to Chipas!
Joy, we think about these sorts of things at our house all the time! It's amazing how we suck up energy for things we don't even use. And as much as we try to mediate these things at our house... well let's just say I know we could be doing so much better. Power in Germany is 3x as expensive in the US; I love having neighbors that think about the same things as us, even if they're only doing it to lighten the power bill.
Keep it up!
Katie
I've often wondered about this...thanks for doing the experiment for us!
Curious how much that reduction in wattage saved you on your bill?
Hi, I'm a friend of Tracy P's! We're in the same Bible study. Nice to meet you :)
Hi A Thinker. I tried to reply back on your blog, but it wouldn't let me.
It as a $20.00 savings.
They went up on our KWH rate. I just got my November bill and used 2198 KWH last November 2007 and 1916 KWH this November 2008. So 282 watts difference. Can you believe my bill was the same within a few pennies as last years. Makes me mad. Since hurricane Ike they are charging more to pay for the repairs. This bill was $226.55 for electricity.
Joy,
Sorry about my blog - I don't have one running right now. That old one was a private one. I'm pondering returning to blog life, but for now, I just look at everyone else's and comment. I have a 2 month old baby and a 2 1/2 year old, so life is pretty busy. That's interesting about your savings. I should try unplugging unnecessaries too. I couldn't handle things like the tv, etc, but stuff like extra alarm clocks and toasters is doable. Thanks for the inspiration! I also checked out your couponing links too - very helpful! Thanks for responding!
Post a Comment