Fight Back Against Energy Vampires and Other Hidden Horrors

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Oct. 20, 2015 -- Do you live in a house of energy horrors? Does “phantom” energy menace your monthly budget? Are you letting energy “vampires” suck you dry?

It’s enough to make you want to scream.

You don’t have to let unnecessary energy loss bedevil your budget. UIL Holdings Corporation (NYSE: UIL), parent company of The United Illuminating Company, The Southern Connecticut Gas Company, Connecticut Natural Gas Company and The Berkshire Gas Company, offers tips and tools to help customers fight back against the hidden horrors that can drain the lifeblood from their budgets.

“Halloween is a great time to look around your home and see what you can do to make it more energy-tight,” said Patrick F. McDonnell, UIL’s senior director of conservation and load management. “As the days grow shorter and colder, families typically spend more time indoors with the lights on and the thermostat turned up. That means there are opportunities to save on energy bills.”

You can start by locating the energy vampires in your home. These are appliances such as TVs, DVD players, chargers, gaming devices and entertainment systems that silently consume electricity - known as “standby power” or “phantom load” - even when they’re switched off.

Many devices that use a remote control or that have a continuous display or blinking LED, gobble up standby power whenever they’re plugged in. This can account for up to 10 percent of energy used in a typical home, according to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Here are some ways you can drive a stake through the energy vampires’ heart.

• Unplug devices you don’t use frequently (for example, the TV in the spare bedroom).
• Keep your energy vampires plugged into power strips, so you can shut the power to them all at once when they’re not in use. You can use a power strip for your computer and accessories, and another for home entertainment equipment.
• Look for the ENERGY STAR® label when shopping for electronic devices. These products are among the lowest power-consuming in their category in standby mode.
• Set your computer and monitor to go into power saving mode when they’re not in use.
• Unplug chargers for smart phones and other battery-operated devices. These can draw energy even when they’re not actively charging.

Upgrading your lighting is another way to drive off energy-stealing gremlins. If you still have old, incandescent light bulbs in your home, swap out the most-used sockets with new ENERGY STAR-rated LED bulbs, which are up to 85 percent more efficient and last up to 25 times longer.

Finally, consider getting a thorough energy assessment of your home. This is available through Home Energy Solutions in Connecticut. For a small co-payment (waived for income-eligible customers) you can receive a full energy assessment with up to $1,000 of upgrades and improvements at no additional cost, along with information about rebates and additional opportunities to save energy. For information, call 877-947-3873 (877-WISE-USE). In Massachusetts, Berkshire Gas offers no-cost home energy assessments through Mass Save, which will pay 75 percent up to $2,000 for recommended insulation upgrades, and offers generous rebates on high efficiency heating equipment. Call 800-944-3212 for information.

About UIL Holdings Corporation
Headquartered in New Haven, Connecticut, UIL Holdings Corporation (NYSE:UIL) is a diversified energy delivery company serving more than 725,000 electric and natural gas utility customers in 67 communities across two states, with combined total assets of over $5 billion.

UIL is the parent company of The United Illuminating Company (UI), The Southern Connecticut Gas Company (SCG), Connecticut Natural Gas Corporation (CNG), and The Berkshire Gas Company, each more than 100 years old. UI provides for the transmission and delivery of electricity and other energy related services for Connecticut’s Greater New Haven and Bridgeport areas. SCG and CNG are natural gas distribution companies that serve customers in Connecticut, while Berkshire Gas serves natural gas customers in western Massachusetts. UIL employs more than 1,900 people in the New England region.