Smart Power Strips the Garlic of Vampire Electronics
I cover a lot of upcoming or future technology, but it’s time to step into the present and aim for the past. Today we’re going to look at a technology available right now that can make some wanton energy waste history. It’s a surge protector that stakes the hearts of vampire electronics without hassling you, the sleeping victim.
Vampire appliances are pretty much anything you can plug in that still sucks energy when it’s supposedly turned off. Some are pretty obvious - the clocks on your microwave or VCR/DVD player burn all day, everyday. We know they’re not “off” because we cans see their LEDs glow. But other electronics, from your television to your cell phone charger also draw power when they’re plugged in but not in use. Check out a handy graph from Good Magazine. Some gadgets are notorious, like your plasma TV. Estimates claim that 5% or more of U.S. energy usage is insidiously wasted by “stand-by mode” or certain misleading “off” buttons. A whopping 5% may not sound like much, but it adds up to about $1 Billion dollars per year - and energy prices will probably continue to rise.
Be honest - how many times would you go around the house unplugging everything before it got old? Smart greenies have been switching off their surge protectors, but it’s easy to forget while watching your favorite late-night TV show or blogging at 4am. So what can we do about these metal-toothed Nosferatu in our midst? How about a surge protector that turns off all your appliances for you?
Smart Power Strips are easy to use: One “master” outlet on the strip controls six other “slave” outlets. When the power usage of the master outlet decreases (by a large enough amount), it automatically turns off the slave outlets. If you plug your “master electronic” like a TV or computer into the master outlet, all your periphery appliances - printers, speakers, Playstation, etc. - are automatically turned off. Oh wait, you have a Tivo and you don’t want all of your peripheries to turn off? No worries, the Smart Power Strip has three “constant” outlets that behave like normal, so you won’t miss your favorite shows. And of course, when you turn the “master” back on, the “slaves” will buzz to life. So instead of housing a legion of thirsty vampires, you can sleep soundly with a gadget that puts your electronics on a diet. For the best deal, check out Amazon.com.
This is not the first or only such gadget on the market. Your choices range from super-smart peripherals to wall monitors to watt-counting surge protectors. You can even use a low cost, old-fashioned timer. For your energy efficient computer needs, you can download power-saving freeware. These applications extend beyond home use too; businesses are jumping on the band wagon to reduce their energy costs and boost the bottom line. These steps could provide big savings for offices with lots of computers and copy machines.
EDIT: Thanks to Tim Hurst for pointing out a neat video via Ecoscraps
(Nosferatu image courtesy of LikeTelevision.com)
(Smart Power Strip image courtesy of MetaEfficient.com)
There’s a reason these electronics stay on after you’ve turned them off. About 30 years ago a TV came out that stayed partially on so that you didn’t have to wait so long for the picture to come up when you turned the TV on. Turns out that this type of TV lasted longer and suffered fewer problems than a unit that was completely turned off.
Maybe board designs have improved since then, but I think the principal still applies that if you have a little bit of current always flowing,the components on the circuit board last a lot longer.
Bob:
I could see the argument for old fashioned TVs, but for modern models (especially flat screen), this should not be an issue. The same is true for computer monitors (essentially the same technology anyway). Some appliances stay on to display the time - that would have to be the user’s choice. Money or time? But others, like the Wii, stay connected to their network and update things like the weather, whether users are using it or not. Phantom loads, like your DVD player, have no purpose for the energy they draw. They light some LEDs and that’s it.
The good thing about the Smart Power strip is you can use your discretion. If you want something to stay plugged in, or if you’re not sure, you can plug it into a normal outlet.
I want most of the electronics in my living room to respond to the remote control when I press a button. If the power is switched off at the socket then the remote won’t work.
John:
Actually with this smart strip, if your remote-controlled electronics are plugged into the “master” or regular sockets, the remote will work just fine. Only the “slave” sockets are deprived of electricity when the “master” is turned off. Those sockets are designed for periphery devices anyway.
The Beamingsun USB Ecostrip is another product that can help slay these vampires. It is designed specifically for computers and is good in a business setting because it can be controlled individually.
See: http://www.beamingsun.com/ecostrip/
Thanks for calling attention to this device. I’ve been casually looking for something like this recently. Radio Shack, Lafayett Radio, and probably a bunch of other HiFi outlets used to carry something similar in the ’60s and ’70s for people who wanted their stereo receiver to shut off after the last record had been played by a separate automatic turntable (a characteristic that was usually wired into systems that were sold as a single unit). Today this will make it convenient to shut off my sub-woofer when it’s not being used. Unfortunately, many of today’s appliances make it harder than it should be to power them down, some lose much of their configuration when the power goes down for longer than a few minutes while others (like DVD recorders) take forever to come up after being powered off. Hopefully, with more use of flash memory, manufacturers will be able to rid future appliances of these bad habits.
[...] a lot of water. May I also suggest showering less and showering with a friend? Yes I may. 11. Use power strips. By plugging many appliances (e.g. your computer and printer and scanner and stereo) into a power [...]