Phantom load — also called vampire load, standby power, or always-on draw — is the electricity your devices use while they appear to be off. EIA estimates put phantom load at 5 to 10 percent of total US household electricity, which works out to $90 to $180 a year on a typical $1,800 bill. The 11 devices below account for the majority of that draw. None of them need to be unplugged. A $25 smart power strip and a 15-minute audit recover most of the savings with no behaviour change.
What counts as phantom load and why it adds up
Phantom load is the power a device draws when it is plugged in but not actively performing its primary function. A modern flat-screen TV in standby draws 0.5 to 4 watts. A cable or fiber set-top box in standby draws 15 to 30 watts. A gaming console with instant-on enabled draws 10 to 15 watts. Multiply those by 8,760 hours a year and the math adds up fast.
The reason it is not zero is that most consumer electronics maintain network connections, remote-control receivers, clock displays, and quick-resume memory while powered down from the user's perspective. The chip that listens for the remote, the network adapter that keeps the device addressable, and the small display LED all draw power continuously.
The top 11 — ranked by watts continuous draw
Cable or fiber set-top box (15 to 30W). Highest single-device phantom draw in most US homes. Always-on by design because the cable provider needs the box reachable for guide updates and on-demand downloads.
Gaming console in instant-on mode (10 to 15W). Xbox, PS5, and Nintendo Switch all default to instant-on. Toggling off in settings drops phantom draw to under 1W with no functional difference for most users.
Desktop computer in sleep mode (3 to 8W). Sleep mode keeps RAM powered. Shutting down to hibernate drops phantom to under 1W.
Smart TV in standby (1 to 4W). Lower than older plasma TVs but still always-on for voice-assistant features.
Always-on chargers with no device plugged in (0.5 to 2W each, often 5 to 8 of them in a home). The small transformer in the charger heats up because it is converting AC to DC even with no draw.
Microwave with clock display (2 to 4W). The clock and the keypad backlight draw continuously.
Coffee maker with clock display (1 to 3W). Same story.
Networking equipment — router, modem, mesh nodes (10 to 20W combined). These are always-on by definition.
Smart-home hubs and voice assistants (3 to 8W combined).
Older inkjet or laser printer in standby (3 to 5W).
Entertainment soundbars and home-theatre receivers (4 to 8W).
Infographic
Watts of continuous draw, top 11 phantom-load sources
The $25 smart power strip — the cleanest single fix
A smart power strip (also called a Tier-1 or Tier-2 advanced power strip) automatically cuts power to slave outlets when a controlling device is in standby. Plug the TV into the controlling outlet; plug the console, soundbar, and streaming box into the slave outlets. When the TV goes to standby, the slave outlets cut entirely. Phantom on the entertainment cluster drops from 35-60W to 1-3W.
Cost is $20 to $35 for a quality unit. Annual savings on a typical entertainment cluster is $80 to $140 in estimated supply dollars. Payback runs 2 to 4 months. The only behaviour change required is plugging things into the right outlets.
How to audit your own phantom load in 30 minutes
Buy a $20 Kill-A-Watt meter (or similar). Plug it between the wall and each suspect device. Note the wattage on standby. Multiply by 8,760 hours and by your supply rate to get annual cost.
The fastest 30-minute audit: hit the entertainment cluster, the kitchen counter appliances, every always-on charger, the home office, and the networking closet. That covers 80 to 90 percent of total phantom load in a typical US home.
What not to unplug — the surprisingly-low phantom-load list
Refrigerator and freezer (active load, not phantom). These cycle continuously to maintain temperature; turning them off ruins the food.
Modern LED ceiling lights on a switch (0W when switched off). The switch fully disconnects the circuit.
Wall clocks and small battery-powered devices. Battery-powered draws are negligible.
Furnace or boiler control board (1 to 3W) — necessary for thermostat-driven cycling. Worth keeping powered.
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Quick answers from the editorial desk
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