Reducing the Amount of Juice Electronic Gadgets Consume - New York Times

Clipping

It's the juice consumed by electronic gadgets even when they're turned off (also called phantom loads, standby power or leaking electricity). They just sit there, plugged in, sucking electricity, at a cost to you and to the environment. According to the Energy Department, 25 percent of the power used by home electronics is consumed while they are turned off.