WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 31, 2016) - With scary and spooky creatures roaming the streets across the region this Halloween, Pepco provides tips to help customers ensure energy "vampires" don't drain you dry when it comes to your energy use.

Vampire energy, also known as standby energy, is the energy drawn from outlets when equipment is off but still plugged in. Many types of electronics and office equipment, including mobile phone chargers, computers, printers, game consoles, and more, continue to draw electricity while they are plugged in and turned off.  Phantom energy can account for 15 percent or more of the total electricity used by these devices.

The following tips can help all customers save energy and money.

• Use a power strip with an on/off switch to completely power down electronics around your home.
• Unplug your mobile phone charger, portable music player or other electronics once they are fully charged.
• Turn off all the lights when you leave a room.
• When preparing for out-of-town travel, always unplug all non-essential devices like televisions and other electronics.
• Look for the ENERGY STAR^® label on home appliances, electronics and other products. ENERGY STAR^® products meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Maryland customers can discover where energy vampires may be haunting your home by requesting a free, in-home Energy Consultation. To request your own Energy Consultation, visit www.pepco.com/forms/pepco/other/energyconsultation.aspx or call 202-833-7500. Maryland customers may also request a Quick Home Energy Check-up, where a trained Energy Analyst will assess your energy use and provide energy-saving recommendations. To request a Quick Home Energy Check-up, visit homeenergysavings.pepco.com/appointment-request or call 866-353-5798. 

For more information about Pepco, visit www.pepco.com. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pepcoconnect and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pepcoconnect. Our mobile app is available at www.pepco.com/mobileapp.