Phantom electricity consumption disrupts climate change: experts

The lights are off, the house is quiet, and nothing seems to be working. But electricity is silently flowing through your home's outlets. This hidden drain is known as phantom power. This waste of electricity occurs when devices are left plugged in when not in use. This can include everything from household items like phone chargers and microwaves to televisions and video game consoles.

This wasted electricity represents between 5% and 10% of home energy consumption, and depends on factors such as the age of the equipment, says Alexis Abramson, dean of Columbia's Climate School.

"Phantom consumption depends on... what kind of systems you have and how much they've improved over time," he says. For example, internet-connected TVs with smart wake-up features that allow them to interact with phones and other devices can consume up to 40 watts of energy during the hours of the day when they would normally be off, according to Matt Malinowski, director of the buildings program at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. That's nearly 40 times more than a typical TV.

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"The good news is that there have been new and renewed efforts to address this," Malinowski said. He said advocates and manufacturers have proposed a voluntary agreement to reduce the amount of energy smart TVs use when in standby mode.

Phantom power consumption contributes to climate change because energy consumed by unused devices can increase the demand for electricity from sources that emit greenhouse gases.

Aidan Charron, associate director of Global Earth Day, said that while the amount may seem small when an individual looks at their electricity bill, the environmental impact of phantom power consumption is significant when multiplied across households across the country.

"Just take a small step by unplugging things you're not using. It will save you money and reduce emissions in the long run," suggests Charron.

Some of the biggest culprits when it comes to energy consumption are appliances that are constantly plugged into electricity, such as those that include a clock.

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"Do you really need your microwave to tell you the time, or can you just unplug it when you're not using it?" Charron asks.

Although unplugging devices may seem like a burden, it contributes significantly to reducing emissions.

Charron recommends starting with small steps like unplugging phone chargers and other devices once the battery is fully charged, and then moving on to other appliances, such as unplugging a lamp that isn't in use.

If unplugging seems too difficult, regularly reviewing your settings and disabling any extra features you're not using that could be consuming power also helps. For example, smart TVs often have optional features that can be disabled so the device doesn't listen for signals from other devices while in standby mode.

"If you're not using it, then you're not getting any benefit, but you're paying the price and increasing energy use," Malinowski noted.

People also tend to take more sustainable actions, such as unplugging devices, once they know what they can do to efficiently reduce their household emissions. These actions could contribute to reducing US emissions by approximately 20% per year, equivalent to about 408 tons of carbon dioxide, according to Jonathan Gilligan, a professor of earth and environmental sciences at Vanderbilt University.

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The choices people make in their daily lives add up, primarily because of how much the U.S. population contributes to direct greenhouse gas emissions, Gilligan says. "The question is, what can we do to try to address this issue? Phantom consumption is part of it," he notes.

The more people reduce their footprint, the more likely others are to do so as well, and eventually, those actions can become social norms, says the expert, because people do not want to feel that they are irresponsible.

"This is where, according to psychologists, this effect is real. If people see other people taking action to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, they will want to do so too," he says.

When it comes to everyday decisions, people may think that what they do doesn't really make a big difference. But what they tend to overlook is how they influence those around them by choosing to live a more sustainable life. The impact can be much stronger than many people realize, says Gilligan.

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