“Ghost consumption” is the use of electrical energy by most technological devices, while they are turned off or on stand-by, while they are still plugged into the mains. According to data, this consumption means between 5% and 10% of the daily total, so there are some recommendations so that these do not raise the value of the electricity bill.
Phantom consumption, stand-by, vampire or silent waste. It is a concept that is gaining more and more strength in the world of technology, due to the electrical consumption of certain devices when they are turned off.
According to International Energy Agencythe energy consumption generated in homes as a result of different appliances that continue to use energy under the so-called “phantom consumption”, is between 5% and 10% daily.
What is phantom consumption?
A common fact is to turn off an electronic device, such as a PC or a television, and leave it on “stand-by”, that is, plugged into the electrical current and with the characteristic red light on. This is known as “phantom consumption”, since despite being turned off, the appliances continue to consume a certain level of energy.
According to experts, it is important to know the implications of this phenomenon, to identify them and thus prioritize them without neglecting the cost factor they produce.
“This consumption is generated in some electrical appliances or artifacts that maintain a constant consumption despite being turned off and, although it is lower than the consumption when they are turned on, they generate an additional consumption that reaches up to 10% depending on what artifacts you have, said Mauricio Jiliberto, executive director of Sapphire Energy.
What are the devices with the highest “phantom consumption”?
As reported by the energy supplier company, EndesaTV decoders are one of the elements in your home that consume the most in stand-by.
They add that the latter can consume between 41 and 64 kWh per year, that is, between 7 and 10 euros (between $6,500 and almost $10,000).
To this are added other electrical utensils, such as stereos, computers, televisions, microwaves and chargers.
How to avoid it?
“In homes, it is usually household items, such as microwaves, refrigerators, televisions, TV decoders, consoles, notebooks, among others,” are the ones that produce this “phantom electricity consumption,” according to Jiliberto.
To avoid this, they indicate that the key would be to know how to prioritize to generate savings in elements that may be dispensable from being connected all the time.
Taking a good look at the idle consumption of electronic devices before purchasing them would be one of the main factors, according to media Xakata. For this reason, consumption at rest must be included in the purchase decision process.
Similarly, they recommend using plugs, whether multiple or not, with a switch, to be able to easily turn off a set of devices, for example the computer and printer or video game consoles.
They also explain that it is a good idea to control the consumption of electronic devices, using timers. Thus, the “phantom consumption” disappears at the time of programming, ideally, when they are not in use.