Green power strip – what are they?

We all know what power strips are for but a Green power strip is a recent advancement that helps control vampire power usage. Green power strips usually have one or two primary outlets that are always turned on. For example, when you turn your TV on, the outlet will sense this and automatically switch on the other outlets on your power strip. This helps reduce your electricity usage because no Vampire power is consumed when other devices are turned off.

Vampire power usage – what is it?

When you have a device in your home which plugs into an electrical receptacle but still draws some power, even though the device is turned OFF, this is called Vampire Power. Some of the worst offenders of Vampire Power are Home Entertainment Electronics, and most specifically Digital Video Recorder for watching television. Just one DVR pulling 100 watts an hour turned off over 365 days not only consumes sometime in excess of $120 annual electricity but also increases carbon emission thought to negatively impact the environment. Many other devices in the home, left plugged in yet turned off Vampire power.

What about damage due to electrical surge?

Another benefit of using a power strip is that it can help reduce the chance of electrical damage caused by a power spike. Daily dips and small spikes in power occur very regular in most homes today. Rarely however is a spike from your electrical utility enough to damage your home electronics or appliances. During a lightning storm however, electrical damage can more easily occur from nearby lightning strikes which make their way into your home. A power strip can help reduce this risk but not eliminate the risk. If a lighting strike directly hits your home or immediately around your home chances are the electrical surge will be so strong and fast power strips are unable to protect your electrical devices. Because lightning is electricity and electricity flows easily through copper the lightning wants to go where it’s easiest, right into your electronics. That’s why you’ll want to pay close attention to the joules, speed and warranty protections a power strips offers when choosing which one to buy.

The different types of power strips:

Regular –  The regular power strip can be bought at countless places. All it’s really good for is increasing the number of available receptacle outlets. Take caution not to overload the receptacle circuit and risk causing a fire.

Surge suppression – This type of power strip is good when you want to offer some protection of electronics from electrical surges. The more joules, speed and strength of warranty improve the strips protective abilities

Green – The Green strip provides the features of extra outlets with the protections of surge suppression as well as reducing Vampire Power consumption.

Power Strip Summary

Power strips are great for adding extra outlets. Take caution not to overload a circuit. Surge suppression strips provide some protection against electrical damage caused by electrical surges. Green power strips offer the most features by also reducing the costly electrical consumption from power vampiring electronic devices in your home.