BERRIEN SPRINGS — As Berrien County Youth Fair attendees played carnival games, ate elephant ears and watched exhibitors win showmanship awards, Heather Riggle talked about a spooky phrase: phantom energy.

Phantom energy is the energy spent on plugged-in appliances on stand-by mode, leading to higher electric bills.

It was part of a larger presentation on energy efficiency that Riggle and other employees of Indiana Michigan Power hosted. She spent much of her 11 a.m. presentation sharing tips to save electric, heating and cooling bills as part of Indiana Michigan Power’s Energy Workshop.

Applying energy efficient measures to everyday living has many beneficial side effects, Riggle said.

“It’s good for the environment,” she said. “It preserves our natural resources. It makes you more comfortable and most importantly, it saves you money.”

Indiana Michigan Power was a lead sponsor of the youth fair on Wednesday. Three presentations on energy efficiency were hosted at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. as a way to celebrate that sponsorship while helping area customers.

“We want to provide the tools to our customers to help them lower their bills and be efficient with energy in their home,” Riggle said.

Attendees were able to meet with Indiana Michigan Power representatives to discuss energy efficiency programs and their electric bills. They were also able to win prizes — like LED lightbulbs and night lights — and pick up children’s activities that promoted energy education.

Riggle hosted the presentation. Between interactive true-and-false trivia, the energy efficiency residential accounts manager outlined the following nine tips to help people save money and energy.

• Take an online energy checkup. Riggle said by going to indianamichiganpower.com, up to $25 in energy efficiency items can be obtained for free to customers.

• Switch to LED bulbs. Riggle said they last 25 times longer and use 90 percent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs.

• Eliminate phantom energy by unplugging electric appliances that can go on stand-by mode. Unplugging a coffee machine when not in use could save a household $5 a year. Unplugging a video game console could save multiple times that number.

• Use the device Watts It Cost. Riggle said they can be checked out at libraries that are serviced by the utility company.

“You can plug your appliances into it and see what exactly they’re drawing as far as power goes and see how they’re going to be costing you to have those plugged in,” she said.

• Recycle old refrigerators and freezers. Riggle also said to keep fridges in use between 37 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit and freezers between 0 and 5 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Be conscious of an appliance’s energy use. Riggle recommended taking shorter, cooler showers and using full loads of items for dishwashers, washing machines and clothes dryers.

• Take part in IM Home if a person gets their energy from Indiana Michigan Power.

“It’s a demand-response program,” Riggle said. “In the summer, we have very high demands on our grid — we call them events. During those events, we’ll pre-cool the home, and then during about a two-hour window, we’ll turn off the AC and then give you about a $1.95 billing credit.”

• Take part in Indiana Michigan Power’s home energy program. For the program, employees will come to a customer’s home and look at their lighting, faucets, pipes, air leaks and attic insulation for energy upgrades. Then, depending on income level, up to $3,000 in energy efficiency upgrades can be given, Riggle said.

• Use Energy Star appliances. These appliances use less energy and provide transparency in energy usage.

“It’s sort of like a nutrition label,” Riggle said. “When you go shopping, you want to know how much sugar’s in something. You can take a look [at the Energy Star label] and see how much an appliance is going to cost you in a year.”

Riggle’s presentations were part of a larger program by Indiana Michigan Power to raise energy awareness. It is partnering with organizations to host similar presentations, including the Buchanan Area Senior Center at 1 p.m. Sept. 24 and the Greater Niles Senior Center at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 18.

Indiana Michigan Power officials said that their company is seeking to work with additional organizations at no cost.