Phantom Power / Vampire Power Finder

Audit measured standby loads across your home and identify the biggest annual electricity costs.

Your household standby audit

Electricity rate ($ per kWh)

$0.20 means 20 cents per kWh. Replace this example with your avoidable energy rate; fixed charges are excluded.

Walk room to room and measure devices while off, sleeping or idle. Blank watts are not assumed to be zero. No example wattages are filled in. Enter measured values from a Kill A Watt or similar meter.

Device 1

Device / location

Use a useful label, such as Living room TV.

Measured standby watts (W)

Measure while off, sleeping or idle. Enter 0 for a measured zero.

Quantity

Group only devices with the same watts and standby hours.

Standby hours per day

Exclude active use. 24 is an example for continuous standby.

Up to 50 devices. Keep this page open while auditing; entries are not saved after reload.

Your standby audit results

Estimated annual standby cost

Combined measured standby load: W
Average standby load over the whole day: W
Standby electricity per day: kWh
Standby electricity per year: kWh
Average monthly cost
5-year constant-rate projection
10-year constant-rate projection

Combined watts assumes all listed units are in their measured standby states together. Hours per day determine energy and cost. Monthly cost is annual cost divided by 12. Multi-year costs repeat the entered behavior at today’s rate, not a forecast or guaranteed savings.

Device breakdown — highest annual standby energy first
Device	Measured W/unit	Qty	Standby h/day	Annual kWh	Annual cost	Share of cost

At one shared rate, higher annual energy also means higher cost. Ties keep list order. Cost shares are not applicable when total cost is zero.

How it works

For each device row: daily standby kWh = measured watts × quantity × standby hours per day ÷ 1,000. Annual kWh = daily kWh × 365. Annual cost = annual kWh × your electricity rate in dollars per kWh. We sum every row, divide annual cost by 12 for monthly average, and multiply it by 5 or 10 for constant-rate projections.

For example, 10 W in standby for 24 hours a day uses 87.6 kWh a year. At $0.20/kWh, that costs $17.52 per year. This is a math example, not a claimed wattage for a particular product.

Assumptions and useful information

Standby readings can vary with settings, network activity and intermittent cycles. Use representative measurements, not a nameplate maximum. Group identical devices only when their standby behavior matches. Count each device once, and exclude active-use hours. A plug-in meter may not resolve very small loads accurately.

Every standby watt is not necessarily avoidable. Always-on security, medical, networking and other useful functions may need continuous power. For appropriate devices, consider unplugging, switching off at a power strip, using a lower-power setting, or reconfiguring/replacing equipment. Check manufacturer instructions before interrupting power. The modeled cost is not a promise of savings.

Use a meter only within its ratings and instructions. Ask a qualified professional about hardwired equipment. This audit uses a constant rate and 365-day year; it excludes fixed utility charges, rate tiers and time-of-use differences.

Use the Kill A Watt Electricity Cost Calculator for deeper analysis of one appliance’s measured electricity use. Use this Phantom Power Finder to audit and total many measured standby devices around the home.

Estimate only. Actual standby behavior, meter accuracy and utility charges can differ. Check which loads can safely and practically be reduced.