Save Electricity with Smart Power Strips
Did you know that in the average home 75% of the electricity used to power electronics and appliances is consumed while the products are turned off? The power that electronics draw when they are turned off is called a “phantom” or “standby” load, which–considering that electronics account for 20% of the average home’s energy bill–could be costing you a pretty penny.
You can eliminate phantom loads by unplugging small electronic devices when not in use (like your cell phone charger and coffee maker) and plugging larger ones (like TVs and computers) into power strips that you switch off when not in use.
If you won’t or can’t switch off your power strips you can get “smart” power strips that completely power down your electronics for you. Smart strips have at least one controlling outlet, and when you power down the device plugged into this outlet, the strip automatically powers down the peripheral devices plugged into the other outlets. Smart strips also have one or more “hot” outlets for devices that you do not want to completely power down (like your router).
You can buy smart strips from a variety of retailers including Amazon & Walmart. The price for a small size (1 controlling outlet, 2 hot outlets, 4 peripheral outlets) at Amazon is $27.
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