Cooperative Living October 2015 - 14

CURRENTS by Tom Tate, Contributing Writer
Phantom Loads
T
he digital age is upon us. Everything is
electronic and has an app, or so it
seems.
Data from the U.S. Energy Information
Agency (EIA) that tracks electricity consumption
in the U.S. clearly demonstrates the effect
of the digital age on power use. Typically, in
a recession, electric use drops as people cut
back. However, in this last recession, it defied
tradition and held steady. Most sources attribute
this to the proliferation of digital, alwayson
devices.
We love our digital devices and have a
seemingly endless appetite for the latest and
greatest. It is indeed a wonderful time to be a
gadget person. However, with all this digital
capability comes responsibility, conservation.
Each new digital device or appliance invariably
comes with an AC power adapter.
Let's take the most common example, the cellphone
charger. According to the EIA, each
charger uses .26 watts just plugged into the
outlet and 2.24 watts when connected to a
fully charged phone. These use levels don't
include the amount required to get your cellphone
back to full power.
In addition, cable boxes, cable boxes with
DVRs, musical-instrument amplifiers, home entertainment
systems, televisions and gaming consoles
use power even when seemingly off. The
EIA has calculated that, on average, these devices
consume 10 percent of a household's energy
each month.
Since it is October and Halloween is approaching,
seems like an appropriate time to
tackle these phantom or vampire loads. So let's
get started with some ways to shave most, if not
all, of this 10 percent from your bill. The good
news is no messy garlic garlands or silver ammunition
are required.
The easiest approach is to unplug the
charger/AC adapter when its device is not
being charged. Problem solved, at least for
those devices that can tolerate that type of
treatment. These include your cellphone
charger or any other infrequently used household
device. But, what about devices that
you cannot easily unplug, say the adapters for
your TV and cable boxes that are stuffed behind
the entertainment console? It can be a
literal pain to get down on all fours and fumble
around to unplug and re-plug these before and
after each use.
And, why do manufacturers design products
that use power even when they appear to
be off in the first place? Customer satisfaction.
Believe it or not, some folks are peeved when
their TV doesn't pop instantly to life or their
game console has to download some software
patch because it was truly without power.
These companies want to avoid the negative
WHAT ARE
PHANTOM
LOADS?
reviews they'll receive in such instances, reviews
that might cost them customers. So,
what other options do digital vampire slayers
have?
Enter the smart power strip. Since nearly
everything else is wearing the " smart " label
these days, it was only a matter of time until it
came to the humble power strip. These devices
came out around five years ago or so
and are readily available today.
Here's how they work. One outlet is the
master. Whatever you plug into this outlet receives
power all the time. When you turn on
this particular device, the strip senses the flow
of electricity and turns on power to the other
outlets.
Your decision is to determine what is
plugged into the master outlet. The television?
The cable box? If you have a DVR as part of
your television setup, it should have the master
spot, otherwise your programming is for
naught.
With a little tweaking, you can slash your
phantom loads ... just in time to power up that
spooktacular Halloween display. 
Cable boxes, cable boxes with DVRs, musical-instrument
amplifiers, home entertainment
systems, televisions, gaming
consoles use power even when seemingly
off. The EIA has calculated that, on
average, these devices consume 10 percent
of a household's energy each month.
ENERGY BANG FOR YOUR BUCK by Tom Tate, Contributing Writer
Harvest Fall Energy Savings
S
eems just like yesterday we were discussing
actions you can take to get
your home ready for summer, actions
that save money and increase comfort.
Well, it's time to turn that discussion to
prepping for winter. The good news is that
most of the actions you took in the spring
are going to pay dividends in the winter. If
your schedule did not allow you to get to
everything a few months back, here's your
chance to catch up.
First, schedule a check-up for your heating
system. Clean/replace the filters, check
12
out the burners, clean ductwork, flues, chimneys
and so forth. If you use a heat pump as
your primary heating system, be sure the refrigerant
level is up to par and clear any vegetation
back from the outside unit.
Next, check your home's exterior for
leaks. If you did any of this in the spring, skip
this step, relax and enjoy the fine fall air.
* Look for daylight around doors and install
or replace weatherstripping.
* Check around windows for gaps and
seal with caulk before the temperatures
drop.
Check storm windows for proper fit and
repair any broken panes. If you have singlepane
windows and no storm windows or
have older, drafty windows, consider using
some stretch window film inside to seal
them. I am blessed with a couple of these. I
put on the film, used a hair dryer to shrink it
tight and you cannot tell it's there. It works
so well, it is now a permanent feature.
Inspect your insulation in the attic. Is
it time to add more? Why not ask your coop
to help you calculate the benefit of
adding more?
Cooperative Living/October 2015
Cooperative Living October 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living October 2015
