Advanced Power Strips
Advanced power strips are an easy, low-cost way to manage your home electronics while saving energy and money.
An advanced power strip (APS) looks like a surge protector, but there’s a big difference. To prevent “standby load,” the electricity a device uses when turned off, a surge protector has to be switched off entirely (or each device must be unplugged). With an APS, you designate one device as the “control”—so when you turn off your TV, for example, other electronics plugged into the strip are automatically shut off. This saves time, effort, and money in the form of lower electric bills.
Advanced Power Strips in the Home
An APS saves electricity when used with home entertainment systems, home offices, and other places where electronics are operated as a group. Setting one up is easy: First, plug your control device (a TV, for example) into the strip’s “control” outlet. Next, plug related devices into the “switched” outlets. Last, plug anything you wish to remain on into the “always on” outlet. Now when you control your TV, any “switched” electronics turn on and off, too.
- Save energy and money: as much as $100 per year by avoiding standby load for game consoles alone
- Save time, simplify your life: one click turns a group of devices on and off
- State-of-the-art surge protection
Advanced Power Strips in the Office
“Current-sensing” advanced power strips work in tandem with computer power management features (PMF). First, set PMFs so your computer goes to sleep after a period of inactivity (15 minutes, for example). A current-sensing APS detects that the control device is in low-power mode, then shuts down attached peripherals such as task lights or printers, which turn back on once the computer exits sleep mode. This saves energy and simplifies workstation routines.
