Reducing Phantom Energy
By Betsy Bennett-Stacey, Curator

Have you heard the terms “phantom energy,” “ghost draw,” or “vampire appliances”? These terms refer to the electricity that many appliances and electronic devices use even when they appear to be turned off. Computers, microwaves, coffeemakers, TV’s, and cable boxes, for example, often draw small amounts of energy even when turned off to power digital displays and standby modes. Gadgets that use rechargeable batteries and plug-in adapters are some of the most aggressive “vampires,” because the adapters draw power even when the gadgets themselves aren’t plugged in.

Phantom energy use really adds up- and is growing all the time. In the US phantom energy reportedly cost consumers more than 45.8 billion dollars a year, generates more than 87 billion pounds of atmospheric CO2 a year, and accounts for 5-10 percent of household electricity useage.

What can you do about phantom energy?

• Plug appliances into a power strip and switch it off when finished for the day.

• To find out how much energy your appliances “secretly” use, purchase a Kill-a-Watt or similar product. You can also borrow a Kill-a-Watt meter from The Grafton Library or The Nature Museum. This device can calculate consumption for an individual appliance by the hour, day, week, month or year.

• For a small investment, purchase a product like the Smart Strip Power Strip or the WattStopper. They “know” when an appliance is being used and disconnect the power when it is not. This is great for bundled electronics like your computer, printer and scanner.

• When buying a new appliance, consider energy usage. The Federal Energy Management Program endorses an online dartabase of appliances and phantom energy use: http://oahu.lbl.gov/cgi-bin/search_data.pl.

• Finally, perhaps the best advice is to keep it simple. When buying appliances and gadgets, consider if you really need all the extra features, those extra features may come with secret energy needs.

The bottom line: By reducing phantom energy use, you’ll lower your electric bill and your carbon emmissions.

By Peter Sniffen, Sustainability Fellow at the Chewonki Foundation in Wiscasset, ME; from the Fall 2008 Chronicle (www.chewonki.org)

Thank You, Margo!

Margo Ghia left the Nature Museum in late August to start her new life as a Kindergarten teacher for the Westminster Center School. The hard work that Margo has put into the Museum for the past 11 years is evident in so many aspects of The Museum that it is hard to picture this place without her. There are countless numbers of things that the staff will miss about having her here with us. As we look back at our time together we know we will miss her abilities as a teacher, her joy in the mysteries of the natural world, her leadership, but most importantly we will miss seeing such a good friend on a daily basis. The staff will miss her steady hand at the helm of the Museum but we are excited for her and her students as she moves into her new career.

-Betsy Bennett Stacey and Lynn Morgan

Community Support & Input
By Laurie Danforth, Board President

It is not unusual to attend a gathering here in Vermont and meet people of fascinating interests. The person sitting next to you might be a genetic biologist, a children’s author, a mural painter, a forester, a chef, a computer expert, or a serious birder to name a few. In our lead article Bonnie Hudspeth clearly illustrates the diverse creativity of local Vermonters who are using maple syrup in new ways. This article points out the abundance of imagination with which we are surrounded. We at the Museum are eager to bring together people of diverse talents. Do you have a special area of expertise or knowledge from computers to travel to vegetable gardening to green building to teaching science and beyond that you would share with our wider community? It takes a “village” to keep a non-profit afloat in today’s economy and more and more we are all dependent on our invaluable volunteers. Please consider sharing your expertise or passion by becoming an active participant in your natural resource connection right here at the Nature Museum.