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I finally tracked our home energy use for a month and the biggest drain was a surprise
After our last power bill came in at $220, I decided to plug in a simple energy monitor to a few outlets for 30 days. I expected the fridge or the TV to be the main culprits. Turns out, our old cable box and modem, left on 24/7, were using more power than our new, efficient refrigerator. It was a constant 45 watts, just sitting there. I put them both on a basic timer switch to turn off overnight, and our next bill dropped by nearly $30. Has anyone else found a 'vampire' appliance that was an easy fix?
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shanef342mo ago
Honestly that cable box thing is wild. My old gaming console was the same, a total power hog on standby. Plugged it into a smart plug and set a schedule, easy fix. Tbh most people would never even think to check that stuff.
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shanef342mo ago
Nah, I gotta disagree on the smart plug fix. Those things can mess with some devices, like cable boxes that need constant power for updates. My friend's DVR got totally bricked after a power cycle from a smart plug. Sometimes the standby power is just the cost of having the thing work right. Isn't it better to just buy a more efficient device in the first place?
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