Vampires

Draining Our Energy

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Energy Secretary Steven Chu

Energy vampires are pieces of electrical equipment that use electricity even when "off." Such equipment is not really off, just in some kind of stand-by, like TVs, so they can power on in less than a second rather than with a lengthy warm-up (like TVs of my childhood.) Some of these vampires are rather puzzling, such as the fat transformer block at the plug or mid-cord between wall socket and device that uses electricity even when disconnected from the equipment. Why can these not be built to be truly off?

More on this and other engaging energy topics at Secretary Chu's Facebook Notes.