That Makes Cents: Vampire electronics

Natalie Hildt, National Grid
"Anything that's still drawing power when you think that it's turned off."

TVs, cable boxes, printers all use energy when they're plugged in, even if you aren't using them.

Natalie Hildt, National Grid
"The typical American home could use as much as $100 of electricity wasted powering things that don't need to be on."

This charger is still using a watt of electricity even though it's not charging anything.

Natalie Hildt, National Grid
"If you multiply that out for several people in the house times all the time plugged in, that all adds up to a lot of money."

This DVD player is using 4 watts of energy in standby mode. And this computer is using 39 watts of power while it's in 'sleep' mode. That alone can cost up to $65 a year.

The best way to keep down your bill is to plug electronics into a power strip which you can "turn off" completely.

And that makes cents.

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