Although Halloween is long gone, you might still have vampires lurking about your home. Many of our consumer electronics are plugged into electrical sockets even when they’re not in use -- an average of 40 items per household are connected at any one time, and all of these are siphoning electricity. These products can still consume more than 25 percent of their full power when switched off.

Along with kitchen appliances, which are the main culprits, other common "electricity vampires" include televisions, cable/satellite boxes, DVD and Blu-ray disc players, game consoles, printers, phone chargers and desktop computers.

Fortunately, there are a number of ways to help fight the drain of "vampire power," also referred to as standby power or "phantom load." For one, simply unplug the gadgets from the wall when you're not using them or when your devices have finished charging up. For example, your BlackBerry's battery is probably fully charged after 45 minutes, so why do you leave it plugged in overnight?

New power strips can also cut off electricity to some of its outlets -- ideal for when you're going on vacation, for example -- while other outlets on the power bar maintain the connection to the power source when turned off (such as a Digital Video Recorder, so it can still archive your favorite shows).

You can also save energy by purchasing consumer electronics branded with the Energy Star logo; these have been tested and verified to be more energy-efficient. You should see that familiar sticker on the box and product itself. When in doubt, ask a salesperson or write to the manufacturer on their website.

Some products even go above and beyond the Energy Star specification. Some televisions, for instance, have a zero-watt standby power switch -- which allows them to consume no power when turned off -- along with a smart presence-sensor that detects when you walk away and turns the television off after a short period of time (and turns it back on when you return).