With any number of spooky creatures wandering around Northern and Central California this week, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is helping its customers shield their energy bills from budget-sucking Vampire Appliances.

“Unlike their fanged cousins, Vampire Appliances suck away money from customers’ wallets day and night by using energy even when they appear to be turned off,” said Tim Fitzpatrick, PG&E’s chief communications officer.“

Every year, these budget-suckers account for about 10 percent of an average household's energy bill, according to the Association of Energy Services Professionals, and idle gadgets waste more than 100 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, reports the Environmental Protection Agency – costing consumers a terrifying $10 billion each year.

To help raise awareness of the threat posed by Vampire Appliances, PG&E is announcing its list of Top Ten Vampire Appliances for 2014, in order of their energy-sucking appetite:

1. Flat screen televisions
2. Home computers (laptops and desktops)
3. Video game consoles
4. Digital video recorders
5. Cable boxes
6. Cable modems
7. Laser printers
8. DVD players
9. Cell phone/tablet chargers
10. Small appliances – microwave/toaster oven/coffee maker

“While garlic and wooden stakes won’t kill this waste, we want to pass along our Top Five Anti-Vampire Appliance Tips that every household can use to save potentially hundreds of dollars every year,” Fitzpatrick said.

Among the top five tips PG&E is recommending that every household adopt are:

1. Unplug: Unplug appliances, electronics and chargers that aren’t in use or turn them off using an inexpensive power strip.

2. Buy smart: By spending as little as $20 for advanced power strips households can achieve energy savings of nearly 50 percent. See http://www.pgecurrents.com/2014/04/17/drive-a-stake-through-energy-vampires-with-advanced-power-strips/ .

3. Go green: The more energy efficient appliances aren’t simply good for the environment, they will help save you money.

4. Home energy checkup: Consider taking a home energy checkup. It will help you learn more about your energy usage so you can become an even smarter energy consumer. See http://www.pge.com/en/myhome/saveenergymoney/analyzer/index.page .

5. Auto-power down: Turn on an automatic power-down feature on your TV or game consoles and set the right predetermined inactivity level for your household.

For more budgeting tips, and other ways to save and conserve energy please visit www.pge.com/saveenergymoney .