There are many devices within a home or business that use energy 24/7 even though they are not being used.  We call these energy wasters: phantom loads.  Like a leaky faucet, these “energy leaks” can add up to a lot of energy wasted over time.  In fact, 40% of the energy used to power consumer electronics is consumed when the devices are not in use.  That’s nearly 5% of our total home electricity consumption nationwide.  For example, as a country, we spend about a billion dollars a year to power TV’s and VCR’s when they are “turned off”.

Most people forget to turn off devices when not in use.  In addition, many electronic devices don’t have power switches at all, so the only way to turn them off is to unplug them or shut off the power strip.  And power strips are often located in inconvenient, inaccessible locations under desks or behind furniture and equipment.

Now there are power strips available that save you money and energy and make your life easier.  What could be better? These energy saving power strips automatically turn multiple electronic devices on and off and thereby eliminate phantom loads. 

We carry two products that function both as power strips and energy saving devices: Smart Strip and the Isole Power Strip.  These two devices function in slightly different ways but achieve a similar result:

The Smart Strip has a series of outlets that are controlled by a single controlling outlet.  When the device plugged into the controlling outlet shuts down, power to the other outlets automatically shuts down.  For example, a Smart Strip automatically turns off your peripherals when your computer powers down – even if you forget.

The Smart Strip works with “sleep modes” on most computers and shuts down peripherals based on this alone.  This means if you have set your computer to go into “sleep mode” after a specified period of non-use, the Smart Strip can automatically shut down your peripherals as well.  It also has non-controlled outlets that allow devices to remain on constantly.

The Isole Power Strip is a power strip combined with a mountable motion sensor.  Six of the power strip’s eight outlets are controlled by the motion sensor.  When a person enters the area, the motion sensor automatically turns on all controlled devices.  When the area is not occupied and a specified time period elapses, it turns off all controlled devices.  The time delay can be adjusted from 30 seconds to 30 minutes.

Computer Workstations.  Most computer workstations these days use many peripheral electronic devices such as: monitors, printers, scanners, speakers, CD writers, phones, DSL/Cable modems, USB hubs, fans, lights, space heaters.  Just a printer and monitor can draw as much idle current as a 60 watt light that is on 24/7.

Entertainment Centers. At home, entertainment centers can also contain a long list of devices that may be wasting energy: TV’s, DVDs, VCRs, satellites, antenna, cable boxes, stereos, amplifiers, preamplifiers, and lights.

Living Spaces. These power strips can also provide an easy way to automate several devices in your living space.  Imagine coming into your living room and having your lights, a radio and any other devices of your choosing come on automatically (using the Isole power strip).  Or, using a Smart Strip, you could have one lamp control a bunch of other lamps and other devices.

Use the Isole when you want devices to be motion activated.  For example, the Isole works well with desk lamps, fans and space heaters where you want the items to turn on when you are there but turn off pretty quickly when you are gone. One advantage with the Isole is that activation is not linked to a controlling device like the computer.  That means you might want the computer to run all day but you want your printer and other peripherals to shut down when you are away from your desk.  This also means you don’t have to remember to turn anything on or off.

Use the Smart Strip when you want the devices to be triggered only when you turn the controlling device on. Use the Smart Strip if you think it will irritate you to have devices come on automatically when you enter the space.  An example would be a study where you might want all of the devices off so it is quiet while you are reading.  Another example would be multipurpose spaces such as a room that doubles as a spare bedroom and an office.  With the Smart Strip, it is not necessary to mount a sensor so the install is a bit easier.