7 Terrifying Vampire Appliances- that Can Make Your Checkbook Shudder!

Are you the owner of a microwave oven, a refrigerator, or a Mr. Coffee? If so, power hungry vampire appliances, all, are sucking the power out of your home, and the money out of your checkbook! Is the television the center of your living room? Does your computer and all of its accessories ( printer, etc.) stay on even when you walk away? And, how many of you unplug your toaster everyday?

In the past several years, it has become a significant part of many American lives to save money. We all know times are tough! A good segment of those same Americans are concerned about the planet and excessive energy use. This is where the importance of knowing what vampire appliances are and how they not only suck away unused power, but inflate your monthly cash outlay as well.

First, let's just list seven of the most common vampire appliances in your home.

1) Television
2) Computer/ Printers
3) Microwave Oven
4) Toaster
5) Coffee Maker
6) Some Video Game Consoles
7) Clock Radios

Wise Geek. Com defines vampire appliances in the following way, "Vampire appliances are appliances which continue to suck energy even they are turned off, because they enter a standby mode rather than fully powering down. The term is also used more generally to refer to energy-hungry appliances."

That's a great definition, and pretty much covers it, but the biggest challenge with vampire appliances is really not in defining them or even figuring out which appliances are just standing around sucking energy.
The true challenge is that there is no manufacturer who will let you know how much energy is being used while the appliance is off.

Without this knowledge, consumers have to try their best to reduce the use of vampire appliances by employing the following two methods.

1) Unplug the appliance whenever it is not in use. This can get old, but it does work.
2) Try out Automated Timers that turn off the appliances when not in use. There is a lot of argument about these gizmos. Why? Because the energy expended by using them might be a much as the energy used by the vampire in the middle of your living room.

Is this all a Catch-22? Maybe, but it is worth the time and effort to invest in surge protectors, unplug appliances when not in use- and if everything else fails- reduce the use of these appliances on a grander scale.