INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - While March 3 is Friday, it's also National Day of Unplugging – a day that can be used to step away from your electronic devices or simply unplug them.
Phantom Power – the electricity that devices use when they are plugged in but are not being used – has made headlines in recent years. Since Phantom Power usage can vary by electronic device, it can be hard to know for sure if you are throwing money away for simply leaving electronics or appliances plugged in.
Many electric companies will come out to your home and do a free energy assessment. IPL came out to Eyewitness News Sunrise Reporter Matt McCutcheon’s home to do an assessment.
The testing started in the kitchen. A toaster, can opener, espresso machine, blender and coffee pot with a digital clock were all tested using a device called Kill A Watt. The results came back at zero – nothing registered as using electricity while being off and plugged in. Surprisingly that includes the coffee pot with the digital clock.
The living room is a different story. That’s where the electronics include a modem, TV, router, TV programming service and a laptop.
Here’s a breakdown of the Phantom Power. You’ll see it doesn’t sound like much per day, but per year is a different story.
DVD Player
.019 cents per day
$6.94 per year
Modem
.021 cents
$7.67 per year
TV programming service box
.024 cents per day
$8.76 per year
Router
.024 cents per day
$8.76 per year
Laptop computer
.036 cents per day
$13.14 per year
When you add all that up, it comes to $45.27 per year spent on electronics that aren’t even being used. If you or your family has more TV sets or programming boxes and computers, the costs can be even more.
Even though simply unplugging is an option, it can come with a consequence. Some TV programming boxes update while they are off and can take several minutes to power up.
Individual savings will vary depending on brand, model, age and condition of appliances or electronics.
