Unplug your appliances You probably don’t think about it, but appliances suck energy even when they’re not being used. According to the department of energy, the average phone charger consumes .26 watts of energy when not in use, and 2.24 watts even when a fully charged device is connected to it. Now think about your coffeemaker, which uses about 1400 watts when active. How long do you keep it plugged in after the coffee has been made? Or any of the other various appliances in your kitchen that you don’t use as often? Alone, 1400 watts here and 2.24 watts there won’t cause a huge bump in your energy bill. But once you add in everything else that’s plugged in all day without use, you can see why “energy vampires” can add 10 percent or more to your monthly utility bill.