Did you know that many home appliances and electronic devices consume small amounts of electricity even when they appear to be inactive or turned off?

This draw of electricity is referred to as an "energy sneaker" or a "phantom load." You can prove this yourself by touching the wall adaptor of your cordless phone or cellular phone recharger. If it is warm, you know it's using electricity.

Phantom loads most commonly occur in electronics that have a clock, timer, or automatic start, such as remote control TVs, VCRs, alarm clocks, microwave ovens, cable boxes, and computers. These electronic devices are using standby power to maintain signal reception capability, monitor conditions, power internal clocks, charge batteries, or display information.

In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off, but are in standby mode.

To avoid phantom loads, unplug electronic devices when they are not needed, or have them plugged into a power strip that you can manually turn off. Be sure to follow the power strip manufacturer's recommendations to avoid overloading it.

And before you disconnect your cable boxes, be sure to ask cable and Internet service providers about their equipment's power requirements.

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