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According the Energy Info Center at the Minnesota Department of Commerce, up to 40 percent of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the devices are turned off. On average, homeowners spend $30 to $40 per year to power devices while they are going unused.

To learn more about phantom power drain and what people can to about it MPR's Greta Cunningham spoke with Ralph Dickenson, a product developer for the Conservation Improvement Program for Xcel Energy in Minneapolis.