Vampire Power
The energy consumption we don’t see
Photo by Alessio Perboni
Europe is in the grip of a serious energy crisis. The increase in energy prices has seen domestic energy bills double and has caused problems for the manufacturing sector. According to specific energy studies, around ten per cent of energy consumed in western households can be traced to electronic devices left on standby. The phenomenon, which is also known as vampire power or vampire load, is said to make up one per cent of total CO2 emissions. In order to illustrate what is almost imperceptible to the naked eye,
the photographer has immortalized night-time images of private homes and offices using a long exposure to capture the LED light from devices on standby. This technique created images with colours and intensities that would otherwise be almost invisible, demonstrating how the problem only appears to be negligible.
(2022)
