Did you know that even when your electronics aren’t turned on, they still draw power and suck down electricity? Unplugging every single electrical device in your house is one option to stop the “vampire” drain, but really, who has time for that every single day? The other alternative is a Smart Strip Surge Protector like the one I received from Bits Limited. Their Smart Strip has received numerous awards and is hailed by environmental groups as one of the best surge protectors for saving energy.
Smart Strip Surge Protector Details and Specs
- Comes with a control outlet, “hot outlets” that are always on, and several automatically switched outlet. Number of different outlets depends on the model. Mine had two “hot” outlets and four switched green outlets. I love that one of them is set further away than the first three, so I can plug in a bulky plug without an issue.
- When the control outlet is on, the switched outlets are also on. When it’s off, they go off automatically.
- Comes with a 6-foot heavy duty power cord and a plug that is angled to save space.
- 3-way surge protection. I’ll be honest, I have no idea what this means, aside from the fact that my electronics are unlikely to get fried if the power surges.
- Uses a patented, safe passive current sensor.
- Adjustable sensitivity dial to fine-tune the sensor so you can calibrate it to your device.
Fun with the Smart Strip Surge Protector
To help me test out the different functions and make it easier to demonstrate, I received three color-coordinated light bulbs: one for each color of the power strip. This part was actually pretty fun, as I’m easily amused, especially by shiny lights!
So here’s how it works: Say you have a TV, DVR, DVD player, VCR, and gaming system that you want to plug into the Smart Strip Surge Protector. You would plug your TV into the Control Outlet because that makes the most sense. Your DVR would go into the “hot” outlet because you don’t want that turning off when you’re recording your favorite show! If you are one of those people (like my son) who pauses games while we run out to the store, but turns off the TV, you’ll want to put the gaming system in the other hot outlet. Otherwise, put it in one of the green outlets. There’s really no reason your DVD player and VCR (people do still have those, right?) needs to be drawing power when you’re TV is off, so put those in the green outlets.
When you have the TV turned on, this is how it looks (imagine your devices in place of the bulbs):
When you turn off your TV, it works like this:
Saving energy is as simple as just turning the control device on or off! You can also use it to control your computer or any other electronic set-up in which you only need some of the devices when a main device is turned on.
BUY IT: The Bits Limited Smart Surge Protector retails for $29.95, although prices vary on other models. You can purchase it directly from Bits Limited.
Connect with Bits Limited:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SmartStrip
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bitsltd
