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Belkin Conserve Smart Power
This nifty device from Belkin allows you to
control up to six electrical devices via the on and off button on your
TV. The power board basically turns off all over devices once it
senses that your television is off. The idea behind the Belkin Conserve Smart
Power is to save power for the user.
Recent surveys have indicated that the
average Australian home wastes around $180 per year on devices that use
standby electrical. When a device is in Standby mode, the electrical
product may appear to be off but in actual fact is still using power.
The theory behind the Standby mode is to allow these devices to power-up
faster but unfortunately there is a cost.
This means that a plethora of electrical products
in your home that are still
using electricity such as DVR's (e.g. TiVo), Gaming Consoles and other entertainment
devices.
According to the U.S.
Energy Information Administration, a study found that an entertainment
system configured with a DVD player, VCR, video game console, subwoofer
and amplifier which are in Standby mode for 19 hours used around $0.117
per kilowatt an hour. This could equivalent to around $76 per year
of wasted money and depending on how many items you have connected, a
great deal more.
Thankfully there are
products available to minimise this and Belkin
Conserve Smart Power is one of these products. Installing the device is
quite simply, you just plug the unit into the mains, connect your TV to
the green coloured socket that is entitled "Master" and then connect any
other devices that don't need to be in standby mode when the TV is off.
For example, this might be a PlayStation 3, a Blu-ray Player, a Hi-Fi
system or a subwoofer. For devices that need to be constantly turned on
such as a TiVo or other DVR device, there are two spots at the end of
the board for "Not Controlled" which do not get turned off when the TV
off.
The only drawback of the
device is that some TV's use a considerable amount of power when in
standby mode such as some Plasma TV's. We tested a 50" Sony Plasma TV
and over a year it used about $32 of electricity in Standby mode. Even
so, the Belkin
Conserve Smart Power will ensure that other devices do not use
additional power when in Standby mode and more importantly, it is
extremely convenience.
The Belkin
Conserve Smart Power retails for $79.95AUD (March 2011) and would easily
pay for itself over a year, depending on how technological savvy you are
with your entertainment devices. However with that said, the device is
not just for entertainment system and could also be used in a small
office and other scenarios. It's definitely worth investigating!
Available at all good
retailers |
