Avoid Vampire Loads While Your Office is Shutdown

Every business or nonprofit owner knows that every dollar counts! Which is why Claire Habel, Commercial Program Manager, recently took a visit to C3 headquarters to make sure ALL of our devices were unplugged. She found a couple that were still sapping vampire energy from the grid and thus the idea came for this short video and blog for small businesses and nonprofits on how to completely unplug during the shutdown.

Heating and Cooling

Perhaps the biggest thing you can do when leaving the office is to turn off the thermostat. Heating and cooling take up a large portion of your energy bill, so making sure this is off could mean significant savings depending on the size of your office space!

Kitchen Equipment

Make a sweep through your kitchen—what needs to be unplugged? We recommend unplugging the microwave, refrigerator, freezer, coffee maker, and any other kitchen appliances. Tip for the fridge/freezer: once you clear out any food, leave the doors open to increase airflow and reduce the risk of mold while any ice melts.

Tech Devices

We noticed a few electronics still plugged in as we made our way around the office. Don’t forget to unplug any presentation equipment (like televisions, apple TVs, monitors, or projectors) as well as your smaller devices (in our case we found a tablet plugged in!). Though one tablet doesn’t sound like much — it adds up.

Office Equipment

Unplug your printer, scanners, copiers as well as plug adapters. As for your phones, you really only need the main phone line connected. Go ahead and unplug those desk lamps too.