Vampire Power

A little late for Halloween...(Mind the Seams!)

The tiny, pernicious, little flow of current that is drawn by low power appliances on standby - dubbed Vampire Power by the folks at Tree Hugger - is a growing concern in terms of energy usage. With the number of small electrical appliances owned by households constantly increasing (remember the days before mobile phones+ chargers, i-pods, and every other device that comes with a built in LCD clock display...?), steps are being taken by the UK government to reduce energy usage from things left on standby.
Of course, it could be a while before the effects of this government propsal trickle down into homes and offices across the country, so why not get a step ahead?

At the most basic level - switch off more devices at the plug socket!
Of course, some of us are a bit too forgetful to get into this habit, so there are devices out there that will remember to turn your equipment off for you.
This Mini Power Minder will turn off all your computer peripherals (printer, speakers, monitor etc) when you turn off your PC. I can't remember the number of times I've walked past my parents computer, and had to stop to turn off their monitor for them!

A Smart Strip Power Strip will sense the difference between the current being drawn by the device when it is in use or in standby, and will cut power to the device accordingly. Unfortunately, these products only seems to be available for American plugs and sockets - but never fear, there are alternatives for the UK market:

Intelliplug and the Intelligent Mains Panel are the UK equivalents of the Mini Power Minder and the Smart Power Strip respectively.

I know what I'll be getting my parents this year for Christmas...!

There also exist other products that will reduce the energy use of high-demand devices, such as refridgerators. The Sava-plug acts as an intermediary between the socket and the fridge, controlling the electricty flow to supply only what is needed.