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Current Leaders In This Week's Contest:

koshka
13

polkadot4
11

Squid77
3

jelloroks
3

Every week, Whyville holds a contest to see who can earn the most points in Vampire Power.

The contest starts and ends every Sunday morning at midnight. Whoever earns the most points each week gets a bonus of 100 Pearls! Second place gets 50 Pearls and third place gets 25 Pearls!

Vampire Power is made possible by funding from the National Science Foundation Innovative Technologies Grant # 1312168.

What is Vampire Power
FAQ: Vampire Power in Whyville

Vampire power is known by several different names. Some of the other names for vampire power are standby power, vampire draws, phantom load or leaking electricity. Vampire power or standby power is the energy used by some appliances when they are turned off but still plugged into a power outlet. While this standby power can sometimes provide useful functions such as eliminating warm-up time for televisions sometimes the power is just wasted. For example, if you leave your game console plugged in after you have finished playing your game, it might still be using power. If it is, we call this vampire power. The game console is using power but you are not using it to play the game. On the other hand if you keep your DVR plugged in all day, even though you are not watching TV, the power your DVR continues to use provides a usable service if you have shows set to record. Vampire power can be eliminated by removing the device from the power source. This is completed by unplugging the device or removing batteries from the device.

Q: Why are all these weird appliances appearing randomly in chat rooms all over Whyville? They're even plugged by the beach!
A: The Power Vampire Count Ampula has gone crazy for power. He's trying to waste as much power as possible throughout Whyville by putting appliances all over and keeping them plugged in.
Q: Why can't I click on an appliance? My friend is playing with it right now!
A: Only one person can interact with an appliance at a time. Wait till your friend is done or go to another chat room to find other appliances. You won't have a hard time finding them!
Q: Where can I find appliances to measure and help stop Count Ampula?
A: Count Ampula's Vampire Manor is packed with appliances. Others can be found in rooms throughout Whyville, such as:
- AbilityFirst Rec Room
- AMD Game Zone
- Bankinter Lounge
- Dell Plaza Inside
- Girl Game Co Clubhouse
- Raven Island Community Center
- Airfield Hangar
Q: My Vampire Power Journal says after 3 unhelpful actions, I will lose my ability to unplug appliances for the day. What does that mean?
A: Each time you unplug an appliance, make sure you are preventing power from being wasted. If you unplug an appliance that truly should stay on or doesn't make any difference in power consumption, that's an "unhelpful action" or "unhelpful unplug." If you do this three times, you'll have given Count Ampula the power to block you from any more unplugs the rest of the day.

Some actions you will want to avoid are:
- Unplugging an appliance that was not draining vampire power (power used = 0W)
- Turning off an appliance that someone else is using.
- Turning off an appliance that is programmed to do something later.
There will be other situations, too. Use your best judgment, and remember to use the "HINT" button if you're unsure.
Q: Why can't I unplug an appliance that's in standby mode?
A: Doing so is a bad idea because this can often damage the appliance. If you want to unplug an appliance that is in standby mode, be sure to turn it off first.
Q: In my journal there is a total for 'Energy Saved Today'. What does that mean?
A: Each time you do a helpful action you save some energy. This section lets you know how much you've helped reduce power consumption in Whyville today.
Q: What is this list of Current Leaders I see under my journal?
A: Each week (staring on Mondays at 12 am) a race for the most unplugs starts. Whoever wins will receive some Pearls as a token of our gratitude for reducing power waste in Whyville.
Q: I clicked on an appliance. How do I measure the power wasted?
A: A pop-up window should have appeared when you clicked. It should tell you the state of the appliance at the top. If the appliance is already unplugged, measuring it is pointless as you'll obviously get a zero reading. Feel free to try it if you want, though! If it's plugged in, even if it's turned off, it might be sucking up energy. To check this, click on any of the meter buttons. Look at how much money this appliance might be costing, and how much CO2 emission it's producing. This data will be automatically added to your journal the first time you measure each appliance in a particular state.
Q: What actions can I take on an appliance?
A: Not only can you check how much power it is currently using, but the meter also allows you to see how much energy the appliance would use if it stayed in this state for a day, month or year. You can also see how much this would cost and how much CO2 would be emitted to produce this much power.
Q: Igor is offering garlic projectiles. What are those for?
A: Sometimes while you are in the chat room with unplugged appliances, Count Ampula will swoop in to plug in or turn on the appliance. As with all vampires, garlic repels the Count. If you and/or other able-bodied Whyvillians in the room manage to hit him 3 times with garlic, he will flee. As a reward, everyone in the room will earn as many clams as if they had turned off or unplugged the appliances Count Ampula was about to plug in or turn on.
Q: Some number floated off above my friend's head while she was measuring an appliance. Why was that?
A: The floating text shows how many clams your friend just earned by helping Whyville save energy. Each helpful action earns a player 5 or more clams, depending on the amount of energy saved.

Real World Instructions
Electric Safety Quiz
How to use an Energy Use Monitor

How to detect Vampire Power in my real home?

Case 1: I have access to a meter.

Step 1: Complete the Electricity Safety Quiz to earn 2 clams of salary. You will find helpful hints at the top of the quiz page. Yes, it's that easy...
Step 2: Learn how to use a meter to measure appliances and collect helpful data here.
Step 3: Measure the appliances in your home when switched on, off and standby (if available) modes.
Step 4: Go to your Vampire Power Journal (access from your satchel), select the "Real World Measurements" tab and click "CONTRIBUTE". Since the appliances you measured are from your home, make sure the "Add to my home" checkbox is checked.
Step 5: Measure appliances in your friends' houses or at school and contribute the data to help Whyvillians who do not have a meter. For these measurements, uncheck the "Add to my home" checkbox.

Note: If an appliance's plug is not safely accessible, see Case 2 below for finding data.

Case 2: I do not have access to a meter.

Step 1: For each appliances you want to include, write down the type (television, laptop, etc.), brand (Dell, GE, Sony, etc.) and model number if possible. You can usually find the model information on a plate/label that is attached to the bottom or back of the appliance.
Step 2: In your Vampire Power Journal "Real World Measurements" tab, click SEARCH to access data collected by other Whyvillians.
Step 3: Use the search field to look for your appliance. You can enter the type, brand and/or model. If you find your appliance in the search results, click the "Add to Home".
Step 4: If you don't find what you're looking for, you can either use the average values (these are shown at the bottom of the search results) or you can ask for assistance from the Vampire Power Helpers (VPH). The VPH will help you find the appliance you were looking for or assist you by providing an average value for similar appliances.

Safety First! Handling electronic devices is no laughing matter. It's important to be careful and know how to protect yourself. Learn these 10 important tips well and ace the quiz below to earn 2 clams of salary.

Electrical devices aren't waterproof and should never be placed near water when plugged in. The device can be ruined if wet, but more importantly, you could get a nasty electric shock.
If an electrical cord is damaged (ripped, torn, broken, frayed, etc.), do not plug it in.
When unplugging a device, don't pull it out by the cord! Be sure you hold on to the plug itself and gently pull the plug out of the outlet.
Don't let your pets or your friends use an electrical cord as a chew toy.
Don't touch fuse boxes. Get an adult to do the dirty work.
Never put anything other than an electrical plug into an outlet.
Take care not to overload an outlet. Limit the number of devices that are plugged into each outlet.
Never use a plug that is damaged. Look for bent or broken prongs.
Don't place heavy objects on top of electrical cords.
If in doubt, ask an adult for help, or if in an emergency situation (fire, you or someone else is hurt), call 911 immediately.

HOW-TO GUIDE: Using the an Energy Use Monitor

Below is a photo of the Energy Use Monitor. Yours may look a bit different, but the functions will be very similar. As long as you are careful about electrical safety, measuring the power used by appliances in your home is easy! Here's how:

Plug your Energy Use Monitor into the wall socket near the device you want to measure. The display should come on and give you a reading of 0 - 0.5 W until you plug a device in. The default reading may be in dollars, but there should be buttons to switch to Watts or CO2. For the Monitor, pressing the Dollar or CO2 button multiple times will toggle the cost and carbon footprint for 30 days (a month) or 365 (a year).
Plug any household electrical device into the Energy Use Monitor after making sure the device is turned off if it has an on/off switch. Press the button on the right (lightning bolt) to view the number of Watts. You are now ready to measure your device.
Check to make certain the device is turned off. Watch the display on the Energy Use Monitor. Is this device using power even though it is turned off? Record your observations on a sheet of paper.
Turn the device on. How much power is it using now, in Watts? If the device has different settings (like a 3-way light bulb or heating pad), try each setting and see if extra energy is used at different settings. Record your observations on a sheet of paper.

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