February Energy Tips: Power Strips
Monday | February 3, 2020
As the number of consumer electronics in our homes grow, many find there just aren't enough outlets for it all. The next time you buy a power strip to provide electricity to more of your devices, consider making an investment in protecting your connected devices and in energy efficiency.
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Buying Power Strips
- When it comes to electronics, be sure to protect your investment with a reputable brand that includes surge protection. Look for power strips that explicitly note surge protection. Indicator lights, which a quality device will have, are there to show you if your power strip is still offering surge protection to your downstream devices.
- The higher the Joule rating the better. With surge-protected power strips, the joule rating indicates how much energy the strip can absorb before it fails. Some offer as little as 200 Joules, while others offer 4,500 Joules.
- Look for power strips that have been tested by a reputable independent third-party agency like Underwriters Laboratories (UL).
- Be sure you purchase a power strip rated for your needs and the amperage rating of the outlet into which you are connecting the strip and other equipment.
- Look for power strips with a built-in circuit breaker so that if you connect too many electronics or devices, the strip will kick out the circuit breaker rather than causing the breaker in your electric panel to trip.
- Consider surge-protected power strips with cable and internet connections for added protection to connected devices.
When purchasing power strips, appliances, computer equipment, and many other products, look for a "UL" symbol to indicate that the product has met UL quality and safety standards.
Power Strips for Energy Efficiency
- For the easiest savings, invest in smart power strips (also called advanced power strips). These look like your average power strips but have added energy-efficiency value. With smart strips, one outlet serves as a master, receiving power all the time. The other outlets do not receive power until the master device is turned on. This is ideal for home entertainment setups. For example, have the television in the master outlet and when you turn it on, the set-top box, speakers, streaming devices, etc. will turn on too. When the television goes off, so does everything else.
- Smart power strips are even available with a WiFi connection. Outlets on the power strip can be individually controlled from your smartphone or connected devices can be set on timers. They can even be voice controlled with a smart speaker.
- Even basic power strips can offer energy savings. When items connected to the power strip are not needed, turn them all off at once to stop vampire loads.
