Chapter 5 of 8

Phantom hunt

Everything in this room is switched “off,” but some of it is still drinking. Tap each item: is it sipping 5 watts or more around the clock (about $7.7 a year for you), or basically nothing?

0/0 called right12 left to inspect

Phantom loads are real, but they have a short list

Set-top boxes, always-on computers, consoles in instant-on mode, older AV gear. Everything else people unplug is a tenth of a watt. A switched power strip behind the TV handles most of it.