The Smart Strip is a revolutionary new plug-in energy savings power strip that saves you money by eliminating phantom or vampire loads
Phantom loads are created by devices that continue to draw small amounts of power, even when they are off or in sleep/standby mode. For example, did you know that monitors, printers, scanners, DVD players, televisions, cable/satellite boxes, PVRs, stereo amplifiers and other electronic devices draw as much as 70% of their total power even when they are in stand-by mode or switched off?
This LCG3 model includes 1x control plug, 6x switched outlets with space for over sized plug transformers, plus 3x 'always live' outlets. For a smaller model with fewer receptacles try the
Smart Strip SCG3 energy savings power strip.
The video below shows how important this energy savings tactic is - note that when using the Smart Strip, there is no need to turn off the phantom loads - the Smart Strip do this for you automatically when the master load shuts down.This exciting money-saving product eliminates those loads by cutting the power off completely when they are not needed. Simply plug the 'master' load into the blue receptacle on the power bar. Once that load drops (eg when the unit goes to 'sleep' or is put on stand-by), then power is cut to all the peripheral devices plugged into the gray receptacles. If you have devices that cannot be shut off or that you don't want to shut off, then plug these into the red receptacles as these remain live all the time. As an added benefit, the Smart Strip also has a built-in surge protector to ensure your electronic devices aren't affected by potentially damaging power surges in your electrical system.
With the low price of these products, the Smart Strip can pay for itself in just weeks and will pay for itself several times over in the course of its life.
Each Smart Strip includes a 2 year warranty.
How much does it save?The amount you save depends on your usage patterns and your computer. Tests conducted by an independent computer consulting company showed that the Smart Strip Power Strip can save enough energy to pay for itself in as little as six weeks. It also showed that it could save up to $20.00 per month on your electric bill. The average home office computer system we tested wasted the equivalent of a 60-watt lamp when the computer was turned off and all the computer peripherals were left on. In a standard office environment where the computers are left on 24/7, the Smart Strip Power Strip achieves a 73% energy savings.
ENERGY STAR studies show that if every home office replaced all their the computer equipment with an ENERGY STAR labeled computer equipment, it would save 219 billion pounds of greenhouse gases. While ENERGY STAR does not have a category for energy saving power strips, by using the Smart Strip Power Strip™ on your existing computer system, you will save more than just energy and greenhouse gases. You will be keeping more computers out of the landfills. In fact ENERGY STAR studies also show if there was no idle current drain on electronic devices in homes across the USA that 12 power plants would not be needed.
Does everything plugged into the Smart Strip Power Strip save energy? No, only devices that would normally be left on or draw an idle current even after they have been turned off. It will save energy on almost all computer peripherals and home entertainment products. Computers tend to have the greatest energy savings when used with the Smart Strip Power Strip.
How does the Smart Strip Power Strip save energy? It saves energy by electronically unplugging all of the devices that are plugged into the "Automatically Switched outlets" when the device plugged into the control outlet is turned off. This stops them from drawing any current without the need to turn them off or unplug them. Some devices still draw the same amount of power even when turned off; therefore using the smart strip or
unplugging them is the only way to stop them from wasting power.
If...
...you leave everything on:
By setting your computer to go into the sleep mode after 1 hour combined with the Smart Strip Power Strip in a standard office environment where the computers are left on 24/7, the result is a 73% energy savings on the power used by the office computer system.
Typical Computer Energy Savings for offices
24 hours x 7 days = 168 hours per week total if left on 24/7.
9 hours x 5 days = 45 hours per week used, if shut off
168 hours total – 45 hours used = 123 hours of energy saved.
123 hours saved ÷ 168 hours total = 73% energy saved.
Average power used by a workstation while on = 260W/hour (as per Long Island Power Company)
Average power used while asleep = 30W/hour (While using a Smart Strip)
Average savings per hour = 230W
123 hours saved above x 4 weeks x 230 watts = 113KW saved monthly
113KW x # of computers = total KW per month saved
Total KW x price/KW = your monthly saving in $
...you leave just your peripherals on:
The public has a vast amount of computer peripherals available to them. Most computer systems now have at least a monitor, scanner, printer, DSL/Cable modem and a USB hub. While the computer is turned off, each peripheral still draws an idle current of 50 mA to 400 mA per hour. Multiply that by the number of peripherals you have, and the number of hours you leave them plugged in (usually 24 hours a day, 7 days a week), and you can see how that 'idle current' can really add up on your bill! Just a laser printer can be up to a 60-watt light that is on 24/7. Would you leave a 60W or greater lamp on 24 hours a day?
...you shut everything off:
If you shut everything off, you will enjoy the benefits of the Smart Strip even more.
1. No more waiting for the computer to turn off.
2. No more bending over to turn off your power strip.
3. All those peripherals that do not have a power switch can now also be easily turned off.
4. Did you know that all those plug in transformers have a leakage current? Even if the device that they are
attached to is turned off, a transformer has a leakage current of 2-4 watts. The Smart Strip stops leakage current.
The Good:
Saves energy-does what it advertises. Easy hook up
The Bad:
Needs telephone, cable, USB, etc. connections. May need to use adjustment setting.
The Bottom Line:
Good product
The Good:
has hot plugs for things you need on all the time and control plugs that when turned off turn off all the other components that don't need to be on.
The Bad:
None
The Bottom Line:
Not sure how much electricity cost it has saved me so far but makes a lot of sense. Turns off about a dozen LED lights that don't have to be on, especially with all the computer peripherals I have.
