Do You Know You Have Phantoms in Your House?

ComEd Educates Customers on How to Combat Phantom Power Pilferage

CHICAGO, Oct. 31 - There are power-hungry specters lurking in ComEd customers' homes, devouring energy and haunting electric bills.

These stealthy power stealers are masked as everyday household electronics and appliances. Whether the power is off or on they draw small amounts of electricity called phantom load. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 75 percent of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed when they are turned off, adding up to 10 percent to monthly electric bills.

"According to ENERGY STAR®, consumer electronics and appliances in the typical American home account for approximately 20 percent of power on electric bills," said Val Jensen, vice president, Marketing and Environmental Programs, ComEd. "One of the easiest ways customers can manage electricity costs is by taking simple steps to stop errant power consumption."

Many of the most common home electronics are also the biggest energy guzzlers -- computers, televisions, VCRs, stereos and some kitchen appliances. Most often left plugged in, these electronics continue to draw power and drain your wallet. ComEd has some easy weapons customers can use to kill the phantom load lurking in your home.

ComEd advises customers to beware and offers these tips to yield saving on their bills:

-- Use a power strip with an on/off switch to fully power down home
electronics while in standby mode.
-- Use a power strip for multiple battery chargers so it can be easily
switched off when not actively charging.
-- Unplug or switch off all nonessential devices when preparing to travel
out of town.
-- Unplug your charger for your cordless phone, portable music play or
other portable device after its recharged.
-- Plug home electronics, such as TVs and DVD players, into power strips
and turn the power strips off when the equipment is not in use (TVs
and DVDs in standby mode still use several watts of power). However,
while unplugging DVRs can save money, they will not be able to record
programs while turned off and program scheduling may need to be reset
when turned back on.
-- Turn off your computer and monitor when not in use. Alternatively, set
to hibernation or sleep mode rather than using screen savers, which do
not save as much energy.

-- Look for the ENERGY STAR® label on home appliances, electronics and
other products. ENERGY STAR® products meet strict efficiency
guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the
U.S. Department of Energy.