A phantom load is electricity used by electronic appliances and devices while they are turned off or in standby mode.  Appliances with remote controls or digital clocks are common ‘electricity phantoms.’  These devices consume small amounts of power continuously, even when they’re supposedly turned off. 

Phantom loads account for about 6% of the entire residential electricity consumption in the United States. To reduce their impact, plug the devices into a surge saver and turn the surge saver off when not using the device.