Goodbye to DMV offices – California launches online commercial license renewal to make the process easier for thousands of drivers
The DPS confirms it — Texas launches a new way to renew your driver license online that affects thousands of drivers
Confirmed by scientists – black hole detected spinning at 80% of its maximum speed and scientists are still in awe
Are you worried about your electricity bill? Electrical appliances are what is causing the increase of it. Energy consumption is very worrying around the world, but places like Spain are experiencing this electricity bill increase the most. Most of us are comfortable in our homes and we aren’t aware of the little things we do that contribute to negative effects on our economic situation, sustainability issues and energy efficiency. We tend to leave household appliances in Standby mode which is the worst thing we can do.
From time to time, we see these electrical appliances are the cause of most domestic accidents
. So, we are going to tell you what to do to save money and be safe.
Unplugging electrical appliances is essential
When we are at home, we do whatever we want and we don’t think about environmental issues and things like that. We are in our safe place, but maybe it is not as safe as you may think.
Electrical appliances could be our worst enemy. Leaving smartphones, tablets, tvs, fans, and any other devices you have at home plugged in all night or all day, is affecting you and you don’t notice it right away.
By doing this, you are consuming electricity, damaging the charger and even risking your house safety. I know we do this everyday, but experts advise us to stop doing it because we are victims of the standby power or
‘’phantom power’’
.
What’s the ‘’phantom power’’?
This is what’s called the energy used by some electrical appliances when they are plugged in, but they are not being used. The fact that they are being connected to an electricity network is enough for them to consume energy. According to the Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy (IDAE, Spanish initials), up to 11% of the electricity consumed in a house per year comes from this ‘’phantom power’’.
You might think it is harmless to have the tv and your smartphone plugged in, but what if you summ all the electrical appliances you leave plugged in for a month? You will see an increased number on your electricity bill.
So, the IDA says that by unplugging your devices you will be saving up to 5% of your monthly electricity bill, which is good news having in mind the high costs of energy.
Plugged in electrical appliances is a danger
Chargers can be the main cause of safety risks at home. Why? Because when you leave electric appliances plugged in, their chargers are receiving a nonstop amount of electricity that slowly heats the chargers.
Be careful because this is more prone to happen if your chargers aren’t of good quality. If you notice this temperature increase, unplug them immediately because two things can happen: chargers can be damaged and sparks or even fires can be produced when they’re near flammable objects.
Tips for starting the unplugging habit
Of course the best thing would be to unplug every electrical appliance in your house, but we know it is so tiring to go around the house unplugging everything every single night. So, here are some tips to start saving money without doing this.
Why don’t you try to buy a power strip equipped with a switch, this way you could switch off multiple devices all at once. Another good option is using sockets that include intelligent systems, they will switch off automatically at certain times of the day.
I mean, nowadays we have so many comfortable alternatives to have better habits at home. So, we should take advantage of technological advances and incorporate them. I hope this article made you see the reality behind everyday little actions we do and their negative consequences.
