Monday, January 16, 2012

California Targets ‘Vampire’ Battery Chargers

California has set new efficiency standards for battery chargers, some of which can waste as much as 60% of the electricity they consume, officials say. The California Energy Commission voted last week to approve first-in-the-nation efficiency standards targeting about 170 million so-called vampire charging systems that waste much of the electrical energy they suck from outlets. The average California home has 11 of the chargers – dubbed “vampires” by energy experts because they continuously draw small amounts of power from the grid when they’re plugged into the wall, even if no device is connected to the charger or the device is attached but turned off. Although strongly opposed by appliance and consumer products manufacturers, the regulations are expected to save enough electricity to power 350,000 homes and cut an estimated $306 million from residential and commercial electric bills each year, the commission said.