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(Idaho Power News Brief, October 28, 2025)
Halloween is here — and while you’re hunting ghosts, don’t forget the ones that could be haunting your energy bill.
Phantom load, also known as standby power, comes from electronics that draw electricity even when turned off. The average American home has around 40 such devices — think desktop computers, modems, coffee makers, video game consoles, and anything with a digital display. These energy vampires may look harmless, but they can drain 5-10% of your home’s electricity all year long.
Idaho Power encourages customers to reduce phantom load with the following tips:
- Enable power-save features on computers, TVs, and videogame consoles.
- Unplug electronic devices that don’t require reprogramming or aren’t frequently used.
- Buy ENERGY STAR® products, which have lower standby use.
- Check out a Kill A Watt™ meter from your local library to measure the energy use of devices in standby mode at home.
- Use a power strip and make it easy to turn off multiple items at once — or better yet, a smart power strip, which will automatically shut off power to devices that are not in use.
- Use smart plugs to control the power supply to devices remotely. You can schedule them to turn off during certain hours.
For more energy-saving tips, visit idahopower.com/save.
