5 things you didn’t know are draining your electricity
Your electric water heater and AC might seem like the only villains responsible for keeping your prepaid units depleted quickly, but you are wrong.
Electric kettles, air conditioners, and refrigerators are obvious, but less obvious power guzzlers lurking in your home draining electricity every day, even when not used in the obvious way.
With electricity tariffs in Nigeria hitting record highs, it’s more important than ever to identify and manage appliances that increase your consumption.
Here are 5 sneaky devices you didn’t know are draining your electricity
1. Decoders and Set-Top Boxes (DSTV, GOTV, Free-to-Air)
Power Consumption: 20–40 watts (constantly)
Even when your TV is off, your decoder stays on standby — quietly consuming power 24/7. Multiply this by days and weeks, and you’re losing valuable prepaid units.
Energy Tip: Turn off your decoder when not in use, especially at night.
2. Phone Chargers Left Plugged In
Power Consumption: 0.5–2 watts (standby)
It doesn't feel like anything, but leaving plugged-in chargers even when you are not charging your phone is guzzling electricity. It is referred to as "phantom load" or "vampire energy."
Energy Tip: Pull out chargers from the socket when not in use to save units in the long term.
3. Standing Fans and Water Dispensers
Power Consumption: 45–100 watts
These units may not consume as much as ACs, but they run for long hours — even a whole day. Water dispensers particularly run on electricity all day and night to maintain the temperature even when idle.
Energy Tip: Turn off fans and unplug dispensers when leaving home.
4. Inverters and UPS Devices
Power Consumption: 10–40 watts (when idle)
Yes, they are useful when NEPA is in short supply, but constantly charging inverters and UPS units drain power from your main source — and it adds up fast in the long run.
Energy Tip: Keep an eye on charging cycles and unplug after recharging.
5. WiFi Routers and Modems
Power Consumption: 6–20 watts
Your router probably operates 24/7 to keep the internet up and running. But even when nobody's using it at night, it's still draining electricity.
Energy Tip: Turn it off if you're leaving for a few hours or to bed.
But wait — what about the blindingly obvious offenders?
Yes, sure, we can't help but forget about ACs, electric water heaters, washing machines, electric cookers, and refrigerators — they're power vampires. But the surprise comes with the small appliances you've got plugged in on a daily basis.
Together, these "stealth" shoppers can siphon your prepaid meter quicker than a 3-hour Netflix session.
How to outsmart the tariff hike- Turn off standby appliances — small or large.
- Employ power strips with a switch.
- Do commerce with prepaid meter apps.
- Use energy-efficient or low-wattage devices.
As the price of electricity units in Nigeria keeps on increasing, awareness is your weapon of choice for reducing wastage. Less consumption begins with the appliances you take for granted.
You don't have to live in the dark — simply become more aware of what is guzzling your light.