Install Smart Power Strips
Did you know that most of your electronics use energy even when you’re not using them? Install smart power strips to stop “vampire power” and save money!
Your Impact
Action Steps & Tips
Introduction
Many electronic devices, like your TV or computer, draw power 24 hours a day, whether you are using them or not. This is called “vampire power”. For the average home, the extra energy used by vampire power costs up to $200 a year! Smart power strips and smart plugs make it easy to turn things off when you don’t need them.
A smart power strip or smart plug is just the same as your normal power strip or outlet, except it has smart features that let you easily shut off the power to devices when not in use. They cost a bit more, but will generally pay for themselves through savings in a year or so.
1 Find devices creating vampire power
First, find your devices that are creating vampire power and would benefit from a smart power strip.
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Home Entertainment Centers: Any device that has a remote control is a great candidate. TVs and stereos that appear to be off are actually on standby mode, waiting for a signal from the remote control.
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Home Office: Any device with a status light or a digital display, like monitors and printers, are drawing energy when not in use. Chargers left in outlets are especially wasteful.
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Kitchen: Coffee makers, microwave or toaster oven—anything with an active display when not in use.
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Bathroom: Hair dryers, electric shavers, curling irons or electric toothbrushes, etc.
With the exception of light fixtures, most of what you leave plugged in likely uses vampire power. Most devices use less energy in standby mode than when you are using them; however, round-the-clock vampire power energy losses really add up! Experts estimate that most households lose an entire month’s worth of energy to vampire power each year.
Consolidate your devices. Often homes include clusters of devices used together. For example, an entertainment system often includes a television, cable box, DVD or CD player, game console, and other feed-ins. A home office might include a computer, external monitor, scanner, printer, and various chargers. Gather these clusters of devices up where possible to make it easy to use a single smart power strip (or two if needed).
2 Choose a smart power strip or smart plug
The next step is choosing your smart power strip or smart plug. In general, a smart power strip or smart plug will let you turn off individual devices on an app, on a schedule or by voice command.
Smart Power Strip: The smart power strip works just like a normal power strip, except that you can control the outlets with a smartphone app or voice control through home assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Home. This makes it easy to turn the whole strip or an individual plug off when you leave the room. Be sure to check if the power strip is compatible with your specific home assistant if you are using one. Price: $20-$60 Examples: TP-Link, Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip, or Geeni, Smart Surge Protector 6-Outlet Power Strip Wi-Fi enabled.
Smart Plug: Have only one device to control and don’t need a whole power strip? Get a lower cost WiFi controlled plug. Plug it into the outlet you want to control and then plug in the device. This would work great for a coffee maker or other device where a whole power strip doesn’t make sense. They also work great for lighting. Just like the WiFi controlled power strips, these plugs work with an app or voice control. Price: $10-$15 each Examples: Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug, Lutron Caseta for lighting
3Purchase, Install your smart power strips & save!
Once you choose your power strip, purchase, install and save!