The always-on gadgets quietly draining your power bill, and the $10 fix

July 29, 2026

By Kim Komando

Walk through your house at night and count the little glowing lights. The TV standby dot. The microwave clock. The cable box that is never really off. Every one of them is quietly running your electric meter while you sleep.

It’s called vampire power, and the Department of Energy says these always-on gadgets eat 5% to 10% of your home’s electricity, roughly $100 to $200 a year, sitting there doing nothing. One analysis compared the average home’s idle load to brewing 234 cups of coffee every single day.

🔌 The cheap fix

A smart plug ends the drain. These little adapters sit between the outlet and your device, and you control the power from an app on your phone. They start around $10 each. 

So easy to use. Plug one into the wall, plug your device into it and add it in the free app. That’s it.

My recommendations. Grab these Linkind plugs (24% off, $19, two-pack) because they’re Matter-certified. That means they work with Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home and Samsung SmartThings. All of them. Only need Alexa but more outlets? Amazon Basics’ $40 smart power strip is a solid bet.

The worst offenders are entertainment centers, game consoles and anything with an instant-on feature or a glowing standby light. Put those on a schedule, and you stop paying to keep them half awake. 

Most plugs’ apps show how many watts each device pulls, so you can spot the biggest energy vampire and unmask the culprit.

🏠 The bonus that guards your house

Here is the trick that makes smart plugs worth it twice. Screw a smart bulb into a lamp, and while you’re on vacation, set it to switch on and off at natural times. You can use Linkind’s smart light bulbs (32% off, $23, four-pack) for this. 

A dark, still house says nobody is home to a burglar. Lights that come alive at dinner and click off at bedtime say someone is here. Most apps have an away mode that randomizes the times, so there is no pattern to spot. Two plugs and two lamps make an empty house look lived-in for the price of a couple of pizzas.

Lower bill, safer home, five minutes of setup. Your outlets have been sucking you dry for years. Time to put a stake in them.

🎯 Send this to someone who complains about their electric bill and travels a lot.