National Vampire Awareness Day!

We all know what October 31st is but do you know what October 30th is?

It's the day Best Buy has declared National Vampire Awareness Day!



No not those types of vampires... these don't want to suck your blood, but they are sucking energy and money out of your home.

Vampire Power is the electricity that electronics and appliances use while they are switched off or in standby mode.

These energy vampires come in all shapes and sizes and I can almost guarantee you have at least one in your home. The biggest offenders include:
~ Plasma TVs
~ Computers
~ Game Consoles
~ DVD/VCR players
~ Cell phones
These items can waste up to HALF the energy they consume. In fact it's been shown that when a computer is left on all the time (like ours used to be) it can use as much power as an energy efficient refrigerator!

Think your home is vampire safe? Watch out because vampire power can sneak up on you and adds up quick. Here are some facts straight from www.vampireawarenessday.com

~Roughly $4 billion annually across the United States is spent on electricity lost to “vampire power,” according to the International Energy Agency.

~40 percent of all electricity used to power electronics in the average American home, such as TVs, DVD players and computers, is consumed while these products are turned off, according to the Department of Energy.

~Each watt of vampire power costs about one dollar per year - if you have 25 power vampires consuming an average of seven watts each, they will cost you $175 per year and emit about 900 kilograms of carbon dioxide.

~The average microwave consumes more power when it is not in use.

~The average American home has approximately 20 to 40 electronics plugged in that abuse vampire power.

~The electricity vampires prey upon is significant and can cost up to 10 percent of an average household’s monthly electric bill.


But fear not there are ways to protect yourself from these vampires. And they smell better than garlic (unless you like that smell... yuck). Best Buy suggestions for reducing vampire power include:

Use a power strip: Plug your chargers into a power strip and when you’re not using those chargers, turn the power strip off.

Get unplugged: All of your chargers (cell phone, MP3, laptop, and even electric toothbrushes) continue to draw electricity even when the device is not charging. When the device has been completely charged unplug the charger from the wall.

Turn your computer off: Completely shut down your computer and printer when not in use. If you are unable to do so, at least make sure the computer goes into a low-power sleep, standby or hibernate mode. And watch out for those screen savers; graphic intense screen savers can actually waste power.

Look for the Star: Upgrade electronics and appliances to Energy Star-rated models, which draw less power than the average when in “off” mode.


Take a few minutes tomorrow and rid your home of any vampires, it could save you almost $1000 a year in energy cost.

Want to learn more about the vampire epidemic visit www.vampireawarenessday.com and have a Happy and reduced energy Halloween this year.