How to Kill the Vampires in Your House
Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast
Episode 33
How to Kill the Vampires in Your House
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is episode number 33 which is called How to Kill the Vampires in Your House.
Did you know that vampires are not a thing of the past? There is actually a vampire culture that is alive and well in our modern age. But they keep that a secret of course. However, when we all think of vampires we automatically envision the vicious creatures of folklore that rise from their graves at night and suck the vital essence out of the living.
You know I looked this up the other day. The Thesaurus lists 39 synonyms for vampire including blood sucker, vamp, Dracula, ghoul, monster, devil, undead, cannibal, etc. But the bottom line is that we relate vampires to sucking blood and sucking the life out of someone.
But, most of us know there is more than one way to suck the life out of someone. And I say that somewhat facetiously. I am sure that some of my listeners have certainly been around someone, perhaps even one of your relationships, where that person literally seems to such the life out of you.
And one more fun fact, there is actually a vampire killing kit. It’s kind of interesting and if you want to see it I have a link to a page that shows you the real kit. It contains a crucifix, mallet, wooden stakes, rosary, prayer book, a pistol, along with some other assorted articles.
But, what most of us never really think about is the vampires that actually live in our homes. But, unlike the vampire killing kit of previous times, you can actually kill your vampires with your fingers.
What I am talking about here is vampire power. The one thing that we rarely think about yet it is slowly sucking the life out of us and the planet that we live on. But, before I get around to that, let’s talk a step back and look at the evolution of electronic and internet connected devices that have literally transformed our lives.
The average number of internet connected devices is now up to 10 per household. But that does not take into account all of the other electric of electronic devices. Some sources I reviewed stated on average there were as many as 65 devices or other equipment in American homes that are plugged in or permanently connected to electricity. This includes TVs, DVD players, coffee makes, blenders, washer, dryer, refrigerators, smart phones, computers, security cameras, lights, fans, sprinkler systems, routers, and more.
But, when did all of this start?
In 1879 Thomas Edison invented the first long-lasting electric light bulb. By the end of the 1880s there were small electric generating stations in a number of US cities. But for another 50 years most Americans still light their homes with either candles or gas lights. By 1930 the majority of people living in larger towns and cities had electricity compared to only 10% of those that lived in rural communities or on farms. In fact my own mother recalls not having electricity on the farm early on.
There was an article written by a man named James Ryan published in October 1929 that had an itemized list of 7 to 11 electric devices commonly found in homes. In fact it is kind of interesting to look at the whole evolution of electric devices. And I will just hit some of the highlights.
1882 Electric Christmas lights were introduced.
1890 The first electric hair dryer was patented.
1891 The first electric vacuum cleaner was invented.
1910 The waffle iron was introduced by General Electric
1927 The in sink electric garbage disposal was introduced
1931 The electric can opener was introduced.
And I have a link to this article in the transcript that is titled What Came First? Electric Appliances Timeline if you want to read a fun and interesting article.
You know it is interesting because as I was working on this episode it occurred to me to think about how many devices we have plugged in all the time. And just maybe that is what my listeners are thinking about. Well, just how many devices does this guy have plugged in all the time? But you also have to remember that we are very conscious of this because we live off the grid and everything we have runs off of solar electricity. So, how many devices do we have that stayed plugged in all the time.
A grand total of three! The refrigerator and freezer are plugged in all the time of course. But these are high efficiency DC appliances. Both of these appliances running 24 hours a day uses far less electricity than one 50 watt light bulb. The only other thing that stays plugged in all the time is my digital alarm clock. I use this thing so that I don’t have to leave my cell phone turned on all the time.
As I am talking about this I just remembered a book that is worth reading if you are interested. It is called Henry and the Great Society, published in 1997. It is 118 pages long. To give you quick over view, Henry and his family live in a rural area and they have no electricity. Their lives were quiet, peaceful, and very simple. The entire book is about the whole transformation of their family after they got electricity and so called “modern” appliances.
I think about how all of these things have changed the very way we even communicate with each other. Every time I sit in a restaurant and see a family or a group of people sitting at a table and they are not even looking at each other because they are too busy looking at some electronic device. Or I am on a road trip and pass a big family in a van or SUV and they are not talking because they are too busy staring at some device.
So, let me give you something to think about. I remember when I was growing up on the farm it was not very common for people to have a phone in their house. If you really needed to talk to them you had to drive to their farm. So we have progressed from that to the point where nearly half of all families members text each other while they are both at home under the same roof. Wow, that is a huge transformation since the first mobile phones became available to the public in 1984.
Okay, I am kind of getting off track here. So, back to my vampire story.
The point being is that technology, from your coffee maker to your alarm clock, to your cell phone, to the internet has invaded every aspect of our lives. All under the guise of saving us time, work, and money. But that is a different story. So we get convinced, by one means or another, that we actually NEED all of these things. Consequently, we leave things plugged in all the time.
But many, if not all of these appliance are using electricity even though they are turned off. In fact leaving inactive devices plugged in all the time translates into nearly $19 billion dollars a year, which is about $165 per US household on average, which also translates into fifty 500 megawatt power plants worth of electricity.
As Americans we are using more electricity that ever. Presently the average home uses about 11,000 kilowatts per year. That is 16 times higher than it was in the 1950s. But the challenge is that we are all addicted to convenience and part of that convenience is leaving things plugged in all the time.
It is estimated that as much as 20% of our base load electricity consumption in solely related to appliances and equipment in off or standby mode so that they can be powered up quickly. And these devices are of course still consuming electricity while in standby mode. They are idling so to speak.
The issue is that many of these devices that were previously purely mechanical have gone digital. Washers, dryers, stoves, refrigerators, thermostats, coffee makers, microwaves, etc, all have digital displays. Early estimates put our “always on” consumption rate at about 10%. But that has now increased to nearly 23%.
But you know, just a little side note here that is kind of related. I was reminded just recently of both the advantages and disadvantages of modern technology. The last time I purchased a new vehicle was about 5 years ago. I distinctly remember the sales person talking about how there are “23 computers on board”. Of course I was wondering about just how much that is going to cost to repair if something goes wrong with one of those computers. So, just recently I took the truck in for service because the transmission was acting up. Well, it just needed a software update. Then I went home and saw my old truck, a 1998 Tacoma with over 350 K miles on it which is purchased in 2000. It has a purely mechanical transmission and nothing have ever gone wrong with it.
But anyway, all of this idle power consumption is referred to as vampire power, idle loads, or phantom loads. But I like the term vampire power because of the connotation of sneaking up on you and sucking the life out of you before you even know it.
Now the point I want to make is that every little thing you can do actually does make a difference. If you think about it, $165 per year of additional electricity costs per household, which translates into $13.75 per month does not sound like a lot. Many people that I now spend that much money everyday on Starbucks.
But if every home in the United States reduced their “always on” power consumption, or eliminated it all together, consumers would save $8 billion annually on their utility bills. This would also avoid 64 billion kilowatt hours of electricity usage every year, and prevent 44 million metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution from entering the atmosphere.
Now these are significant numbers considering all we have to do is make one small little change.
So to put things into perspective.
A Samsung cable box uses 28 watts when it is on and recording. It uses 26 watts when it is off. That is almost 19 kilowatts per month and almost 227 kilowatts per year even if it is turned off. That is more than the average energy consumption per capita in the country of Mexico. And this is only ONE device. Now remember that on average each American household has 65 devices or other equipment that is always plugged in. Yet Annette and I have a total of 3 devices that are constantly plugged in and using power: the refrigerator, the freezer, and the digital clock.
The simple fact is that once upon a time there was a difference between on and off. Now things are more complicated than that. But you may be sitting there wondering just what can be done about this.
Now you may not think that little things such as this can make a difference. But, think of it this way.
Every time you fill up your vehicle at the gas station, most people spill a couple of drops on the payment. And most of us give little thought to that. But, at the average gas station that adds up to about 1,500 liters over a decade. Multiple that by the number of filling stations across the country and do some simple math and that comes to 25, 200,000 liters per year or 2,100,000 liters per month which is about 555,000 gallons.
Now is some oil company suddenly spilled 555, 000 gallons all at once, it would be all over the news. Yet we are consistently spilling that same amount every month by the simple things we do.
Now, back to vampires. Most of us never give much thought to all those devices that are plugged in all the time. But it results in a tremendous amount of wasted energy. And considering that the power plants in our country that produce our electricity account for nearly 40 % of our carbon pollution, eliminating this wasted energy could reduce our carbon emissions by 44 million metric tons or 4.6% of our emissions. That is significant.
So, I am willing to bet if the IRS said to you that if you do this one simple thing that will not cost you any money at all, we will reduce your income tax by 4.6% that every single one of us would do what they ask.
All of this wasted energy cost us $8 billion dollars annually. Did you realize that is more money than the annual budget of some smaller countries. Imagine what $8 billion per year could do for our educational system. What if $8 billion per year were invested in renewable energy projects that produced clean energy instead of carbon emissions.
So, what is to be done?
Well, you do not have to order your vampire killing kit. The key to eliminating vampire power is at the tip of your fingers.
And the first tip is to NOT wait for various policy changes that could be implemented in order to make our devices more efficient. Waiting for policy changes is similar to waiting for the next ice age. Meaning you will not see that any time soon.
The solution here is really simple.
-Unplug electronics, devices, and appliances when they are not in use.
-Set your electronics to energy save mode when not in use and turn off your monitors when not in use.
-Use a power strip to turn off all devices at once. This is the same as unplugging something from the electrical socket and prevents vampire power or phantom energy usage.
-Use more energy efficient appliances, especially those that are certified by the Energy Star Program
-Unplug devices when they are fully charged
-Unplug small appliances when not in use such as your coffee maker and microwave.
The simple fact is that any appliance that is plugged in continuously draws power through the cord even when not in use. We all have numerous devices in our homes that do this: Computers, TVs, Fax machines, printers, stereos, microwaves, garage door openers, video game consoles, coffee makers, toasters, cable modems, stoves, refrigerators, freezers.
So take advantage of the one thing that you can control and that is your excess energy consumption through vampire power. So, kill the vampires in your house.
In our culture we take so many things for granted. We always assume that fresh water, electricity, food, gasoline, and many other consumable resources are always going to be available. But, let me just say this. If you have ever tried to live off the grid, you will immediately become acutely aware of every single resource that you use.
The best way to reduce our environmental impact is to focus on all the little things that we can do and the little things that are actually in our control. As I have said to many of my friends over and over again, you had better start learning the skills of sustainable living because there may come a time when you will not have a choice. A sustainable life comes down to making better choices. Sustainability comes down to the kind of future we are leaving the next generation.
So, just to wrap things up here, I do have 9 different resources listed in the transcript of this episode.
In closing, I hope you have enjoyed this episode and if so, please take the time to leave me with a review. And of course, please subscribe to the Adventures in Sustainable Living podcast as well as my companion site, Off Grid Living News.
This is your host Patrick signing off for now. I will see you again next week.
Additional Resources
Complete Guide to Vampire Power
Electricity use 16 times as high as in 1950
Half of family members test each other while in the same house.
5 Major Moments in Cell Phone History
What Came First? Electric Appliances Timeline
