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This week, we’re taking a look at vampires! No not the horror movie monsters, we’re looking at smart appliances, and how they can still consume power when you’re not using them.

Simply put, a Vampire Appliance is a device that continues to use power even when you’re not actively using them.

With the current energy crisis, smart appliances and smart bulbs in particular are getting the finger pointed at them for wasting energy. With a name as scary as vampire energy, it must be a massive problem, right?

Smart devices need to be constantly connected to the internet to unlock their extra functionality. If you want the convenience of telling your Echo in your living room to turn the lights in your bedroom on, those devices need to be in constant communication. That’s why all smart devices consume a little bit of power even if they’re not in use.

How Big A Deal Is This?

Less than you’d think.

The exact amount a smart bulb uses in standby mode is hard to measure, because they use so little. Typically, they will average around 0.15 to 0.5 watts per hour.

Long story short, it will take roughly 2000 hours before a smart bulb will consume 1kWh of power as a rule. That’s about two months before you’ll have spent 34p.

Now, obviously if you want to fill your house with smart bulbs in every room, then this cost might start to add up a bit. If saving money is your absolute top priority, then you should avoid using too many smart bulbs, but we think the extra bonuses you get from smart lighting are worth a small extra cost if you can afford it.

It’s also worth noting that the vast majority of smart bulbs are LEDs. LED bulbs use a fraction of the power of filament bulbs when you are using them, so they will help reduce your bills significantly.

Other Vampire Appliances

Smart bulbs aren’t the only devices that consume extra power on standby, and most other vampire appliances don’t offer the same benefits.

For example, do you leave your phone on charge overnight? That will constantly consume power in a drip-feed. Now, while this is typically only about 85p a year per phone, think of how many devices you have and do the maths.

Computers, printers, consoles, televisions and set top boxes are all major culprits, consuming about £75 a year all in when not managed. Since these rarely need to be left in standby mode, it’s a smart call to make sure you’re turning them off fully. Some energy vampires really can’t be shut down. Fridges are the prime example.

Taking a bit of time to turn off these devices that can be switched off at the wall where possible can help mitigate the small energy drain that your necessary appliances and smart devices rely on to function.

Want to learn more? Give us a call on 0116 321 4120 or send us an email to cs@wled.co.uk. You can also follow us on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.