“Phantom loads” — power drawn by electronic equipment while not in use — can account for up to 6 percent of electricity used nationwide. To stop that waste, anyone leaving an office, work station or lab for an extended period of time such as for a holiday should not only power down, but “green down” for the holidays.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to shut off or unplug any electronic item that draws power when not in use. The most common culprits of phantom loading are:

• Computers in the sleep mode.
• Electronics that wait for a signal from another printers, scanners, televisions, DVDs, VCRs, fax machines, photocopiers, external hard drives, or other devices.
• Devices that have some sort of digital display, such as coffee pots, microwave oven, digital clocks.
• Chargers for other devices for telephones, Bluetooth devices, and cameras.
• Power strips that have been left turned on.

Before UALR offices close for the holiday break, everyone should turn off or unplug:

• Computers
• Printers
• Power strips multiple machines are located on them
• Scanners
• Copiers
• Fax machines
• External hard drives
• TVs
• VCRs/DVD players
• Microwave ovens
• Coffee pots
• Chargers of various sorts (phone chargers, video camera chargers, etc)

To save more energy, consider smart power strips that now turn off computer peripherals when the main computer is turned off. Other strips monitor electricity usage to determine which device is in use and which isn’t and turns off those which are not currently in use. They are available in a wide range of prices.