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my Power Plan
This summer I decided it was time to do something about the phantom in my apartment. Phantom power that is. Did you know that a growing number of household electrical devices are designed to draw power 24 hours a day, seven days a week even when turned "off"!? Appliances that have features like clocks, timers, touch pads or remote controls continue to use electricity when they’re off and that’s called phantom power or standby power. Cell phone and MP3 chargers continue to draw electricity when they are left plugged in – even when you have removed the device. When you power down a computer, it isn’t really off either.
That’s a crazy amount of energy being wasted for no good reason! So this summer I’ve got a plan to reduce phantom power. I charge up my cell phone and my MP3 player in the evening and unplug them before I go to bed. And I’ve decided to start using power bars. I have one in my den that my computer, modem, printer and speakers are all plugged into, as well as one in my living room for my TV, VCR, DVD player and stereo system. I switch both off before I go to bed and when I go to work in the day. I also have a power bar in my kitchen that I plug all of my kitchen appliances into, such as my microwave, coffee maker and food processor. When you think about it, there are endless electronics that use electricity constantly that you don't necessarily use constantly. Plug them into a power bar or unplug them when not in use and get the phantom out of your unit!