WASHINGTON - In this troubled economy, people are looking for new and innovative ways to save on their monthly bills. One way to do so is by "pulling the plug" on things around the home.

In Eric Stone's Ashburn, Va. home, you don't need a full moon to bring out the vampires. His house is full of them and they are sucking not blood, but power and money, out of his wallet.

With the help of a Kill-A-Watt gauge, vampire electronics were found all around Stone's home -- from a cell phone charger that was left plugged in, to a power iPod charger and clock radio. These electronics drink up Stone's power even when they're turned off.

D.C. resident Julie Donovan and her husband are expecting their first child in December. And although their home is energy efficient, their television is not.

Ronnie Kweller from the Alliance to Save Energy noted just how much energy a television uses even when turned off.

'Vampire' Electronics

Device	Cost (per month)
Electric Razor	$0.15
Hair Dryer	$0.07-.84
Electric Toothbrush	$0.14-.23
Cell Phone Charger	$0.04-.07
Night Light	$0.04-.07
Laptop Computer (off but plugged in)	$0.30
iPod Sound Dock	$0.18 - .77
Interner Router	$0.61
DVD Player	$0.15
VCR	$0.61
TV (Off)	$0.23
Cable Modem	$0.61
DVR (Digital Video Recorder)	$2.31
Microwave	$0.53-1.79
Flashlight	$0.13
Alarm Clock	$0.09-.15
Office:Computer/Printer/ Scanner/Monitor (Off)	$0.90-1.46

"A TV with a remote control actually uses more power during the 20 hours it's plugged into the wall and sitting there than the four hours it's in use," Kweller said.

The biggest vampire in the house, however, is Donovan's monitor, computer and printer. All in all, about five percent of her power bill is going to the vampires.

Back at Stone's house, the vampires are taking over as well. When added together, everything that sucks power when not being used in his home added up to more than six dollars, or eight percent of his monthly power bill.

Both Stone and Donovan said they were shocked about how much of their money each month was going to the vampires. Luckily, there is an easy solution that can help mitigate this problem. By using a power strip to plug in computers, monitors, printers and cell phone chargers, homeowners can just flip the off switch when they're done. That'll stop the vampire power from flowing. 

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