A few months ago, we did a post about how switching to energy efficient light bulbs can help you save a lot of money. Another easy way to save money on energy costs is to turn off electronic devices when they aren’t in use. What many of us don’t realize is that for a lot of electronic devices, even if they are turned off, they still use electricity. Game consoles, computers, and other devices that go into standby mode can contribute to up to 15% of your energy usage. To truly stop that power drain, you’d need to unplug that device, which simply isn’t practical. The new Smart Strip Surge Protector from Bits Limited is an easy way to help reduce the amount of standby power used by electronic devices in your home.
The Smart Strip Surge Protector is more than a traditional surge protector. While it comes with the standard protections and warranties for your electronics, what makes this surge protector uniuqe are the three different types of outlets on the protector – 1 blue control outlet, 2 red “hot” outlets, and 4 green switched outlets. The way it works to reduce your energy bill is by sensing when the control devices is turned off or in standby, and then cutting off power to the 4 switched outlets that don’t need power if the control device is off.
For example, if your computer is plugged into the control device, you would connect your printer, scanner, computer speakers, or other computer peripheral to the switched outlets. When the computer goes to sleep, the Smart Strip Surge Protector cuts off the power to peripherals because if the computer is sleeping, you certainly won’t be printing. When the computer comes out of sleep mode, then power resumes to the peripherals. For electronics that you want to stay on no matter what, you simply plug those into the hot outlets. These would be your modem or fax machine, for example.
The Smart Strip Surge Protector is also ideal for entertainment centers. You could plug your TV into the Control outlet, your satellite receiver/DVR into the hot outlets, then your DVD player, speakers, gaming system, etc – the things that you only use when the TV is turned on – would be plugged into the switched outlets.
According to Bits Limited, you can save over $39 per year when you use the Smart Strip for your electronic devices. With our home office arrangement, I could easily use three Smart Strips instead of my current surge protectors, which could save me more than $120 per year – just by switching to this energy smart surge protector.
I love how easy this surge protector makes it to cut power to the things that don’t need power and it’s nice that I won’t have to worry about whether I cut everything off. With seven outlets, it can easily handle the plugs for my electronic set-ups and I like how they allowed extra room on the strip for a wider plug as well. If you find yourself needing more outlets, they also offer Smart Strips with up to 10 outlets.
If you’re looking to reduce your energy bill, check out the Smart Strip Surge Protector from Bits Limited. You can buy the Smart Strip Surge Protector online from Bits Limited or from Amazon.com for just $20.71.
About the Bits Limited Smart Strip
Bits Limited Smart Strip Online
- Visit the Bits Limited Website
- “Like” Bits Limited Smart Strip Surge on Facebook
- Follow Bits Limited Smart Strip Surge on Twitter
Enter the WiC Project Bits Limited Smart Strip Surge Giveaway
The Prize:
One winner will receive a Bits Limited Smart Strip Surge Protector.
Disclaimer: This post consists of my (and/or fellow tester) opinions only. Your experiences may be different. No compensation was given for this review/giveaway. I did receive a free product from the manufacturer or their representing PR agency to use and test for the purposes of this review. This did not affect the outcome of this review.
I am all in favor in cutting costs and saving energy. Great giveaway!
always turn off all lights and turn off tv when we leave the room!
I wash all my clothes in cold water and I use energy light bulbs!
We use Engery light bulbs and wash in cold water. Give my little ones a small treat when I see them trying to save energy too
I save energy by turning off all the lights when not in the room. I have an energy saving washer and refrigerator. I turn down the thermostat at night!
I TURN OFF LIGHTS WHEN NOT IN THE ROOM.
We make sure all lights are turned off when no one is in the room
We keep our thermostat at the recommended settings, unplug unused appliances and also wash in cold water & hang dry the clothes (except for linens, towels, socks, etc.)
I hang clothing outdoors to save
we use all energy efficient bulbs.
I dry clothes and diapers on the line whenever possible; We have motion sensitive lights for outside. We turn off the lights when not in certain rooms at night. We unplug unused appliances. We have solar flashlights and lanterns.
I turn off my computer and WiFi when I am not using it.
I use energy efficient bulbs, and try to turn things off as I leave a room.
Keeping heat low, lights off, energy efficient appliances, all the ways we can:)
I encourage my kiddos to turn off their fans and lights every morning.
Keep lights turned off unless needed and use halogen bulbs.
RSS with Bloglines via email: jslbrown_03 at yahoo dot com
I try to save energy by turning off lights when i leave the room, running my washing machine on the cool cycle, only using air conditioning as a last resort, etc
I turn lights off not in use, close off unused rooms, plastic in windows, and set thermostat for energy saver.
I try to save energy by making sure to turn off lights and unplug small appliances that we are not using.
I try to go around behind everyone and turn off unnecessary lights, fans, electronics, etc…
I try to turn lights and things off when we can.
we changed all our light bulbs to low energy ones
I unplug appliances and light when not in use,I unplug phone chargers and computers when not is use. I do laundry at non peak hours and I don’t use a dishwasher.
I use energy light bulbs
We always turn off lights when we are not using them, we just re-insulated our house and looking at more energy efficient changes for the future!
Keep the heat turned down as low as we can stand it
I use CFLs and LEDs, I keep my thermostat at 60, wash in cold water and air dry laundry as much as possible.
We run the low energy use bulbs in everything. We also try to use a lot of natural light instead of running lights all the time.
Use cold water to wash laundry and hang wash outside
We try to save energy by turning lights off when not needed and buying energy saving appliances. We also unplug appliances and electronics when we travel.
We try to save energy by only running the dishwasher and washing machine when they are completely full.
unplug all the appliances when not in use and turn off the lights, water, and timed our usage for both —– Paul T/Pauline T aka Paul Tran ….. emscout9 at Hotmail dot com
Followed on RSS…Google reader subscriber …as Paul T / Pauline T (Paul Tran…pls use emscout9 at hotmail dot com instead of gmail to contact me)
saving energy is great!
I keep our thermostat set low in winter and high in summer
I use a lot of energy saving devices from light blocking curtains to LED energy bulbs I also use a programmable thermostat
Turn off appliances when not needed, even unplug them
by turning off lights and system immediately when not using
I unplug electronics that are not in use.
We save energy by only using lights in the rooms we are in and we have switched all our light bulbs to the energy efficient ones. All our majors appliances are energy efficient also.
We turn lights off when we leave a room and unplug power draining devices when not in use.
we shut off lights when not in use, try to weatherize the house so that heat won’t escape out doors and windows, keep the furnace turned down, and unplug electronics that we are not using.
I buy CFL bulbs
Turn off lights when not in use & turn down heat when in bed @ night!
I wash in cold water-during summer hang them out to dry, turn off lights and short showers
We have been updating our appliances with energy efficient ones, i hang clothes out to dry whenever possible, we have cfl in our home and are slowly but sure switching over to leds
I turn the lights off during the day and use energy efficient bulbs
We have solar lights outside. Inside, we shut the lights off when we’re not in the room and when we’re away, we put a few lights on times.
unplug cell phone chargers- they eat energy
we use cold water for all our clothes washing, and turn out lights when not in use
We have been replacing our appliances with Energy Star appliances as they wear out
I replaced light bulbs with the engery savers when the old one go out!
We never leave lights on plus we keep the ac on 82
I wash my clothing with cold water.
energy saving light bulbs, keeping the thermostat at a set degree, going behind everyone turning out lights & unused electronics.
We switched to energy efficient lighting. Thanks for the awesome giveaway 🙂
Renee
fattybumpkins at yahoo dot com
Recently change over to energy efficient light bulbs
Makesure the kids remember to ALWAYS turn off the lights when leaving a room.
I TRY to make sure the kids turn the lights and TV off when they leave the room.
I make sure all the lights are out when we go to bed and also keep the thermostat higher in the summer.
We use the energy saving light bulbs, try to remember to turn lights off when don’t need them, the usual but I would like to do so much more but it’s hard to get everyone in the house to follow along.
turn off lights that are not in use
just replaced our old windows with energy efficient windows.
We switched to energy efficient lighting
we try to turn off the lights when we leave rooms
we turn off the air when we leave
change light bulbs to those new energy saver kind
We line dry our clothes
i wash (clothes)in cold water
by turning off lights when im not home, or in that room
I use the energy efficient light bulbs
WE use energy efficient light bulbs. Thank you
Unplugging things when not in use
Before going on vacation, I turn down/off heat/AC,unplug all items that I can. We also use energy saving light bulbs in the house only.
I use energy efficient light bulbs, turn off all lights when not in use, use cold water for wash, burn wood for heat, and only purchase energy efficient appliances when replacing.
We just got new windows that we are hopeful will help considerably this winter!
I hang clothes outside instead of using the dryer
i wash all our clothes in cold water. I hang clothes out when its nice enough 🙂
We use Energy Star products and turn off stuff when not in use
I try to keep the lights off and the air conditioner set on 78. Thank you. Jerri Davis
I try to save energy by keeping the lights off in rooms that we are not in.
We purchased a new washer and dryer that are energy saving certified.
We swapped out all of our light bulbs for the energy efficient kind
I TURN OFF THE LIGHTS WHEN NOT IN USE.
I’m trying to get my sweet husband and our grandson to turn off lights. It’s a never-ending job 🙂
I save energy by only doing laundry and dishwasher after 9:00 P.M. I use all energy saving light bulbs only have lights on in the room I am using.I use Evaporative cooler instead of refrigeration when possible.I keep the thermostat set to keep the house comfortable but not over heated or cold. I dress warm so I can keep the house a little cooler in winter.
I save energy by keeping the heat down to 66 degrees!
We use CFL bulbs, and on days like it has been for the past 2 weeks we don’t run the A/C during the day we open the windows and turn the thermostat off.
I use energy saving light bulbs, cold water wash and hang my clothes outside. I do not have a clothes dryer. In the summer we use or air condioner when very hot and keep our thermosat at 68 in the winter.
I unplug everything when not using it
we try to save energy by turning out lights in rooms that aren’t being used and switching to long-life light bulbs.
I keep lights off,leave appliances unplugged when not in use,use energy star light bulbs,use cold water to wash clothes and hang dry.
I keep my Air conditioner set on 80 during the Summer and 60 during the Winter.
Thanks for the giveaway!
I try to keep lights off when I’m not in a room. Keep the air a little higher and the heat a little cooler.
I have a great need for a new powerstrip and this looks awesome.
I turn off lights when they’re not in use.
We turn out all the lights in the rooms we’re not in.
Turning off lights when we’re not in a room.
I turn off lights when not in the room. I lower my thermostat when not home and at night
I turn out the lights when I leave a room.
We turn off our lights and unplug non essential appliances. We also have 4 zone heating and try not to use it!
I unplug everything I’m not currently using
Turn the power off to everything not in use. Wash and dry full loads of laundry. We do not leave the tv or radio on just for the noise. Turn the computer off when not in use.
We save energy by turning off electronics/lights when we aren’t using them.
I save energy by unplugging appliances when I’m not using them & shutting off lights when leaving a room.
Thanks for the giveaway!
I turn of lights and unplug things when not in use.
I unplug my washer when I am not using it
Turn off lights and unplug things not used. Making sure to wash full loads in washer and dishwasher.
I wash clothes with cold water.
Wash and dry full loads of laundry and use cold water
We keep the thermostat on the air and heat set at certain temp and keep it there.
Thank You!
I dry most of my laundry on line on back porch.I hang up wash and wear clothes to cut back on ironing.I turn off lights and cooling and heating when I can.
During the day I open blinds/curtains so we don’t have to turn on lights.
Try to make sure all the lights are turned out when not in use and add extra blankets to beds in the winter instead of turning the heat up at night
I turn off lights when not in use.
By turning out the lights when I leave the room
I use CFL light bulbs
Turn of items not in use.
We are very aware of turning lights off when we leave the room and unplugging things when they are not in use.
I remember when Mom used to make a game -how many lights each kid could turn off just before our show would come on at night. Now I do the same thing at my house
I unplug all kitchen gadgets that aren’t used very much.
I turn off lights when I’m not in a room, and turn off my computer every night.
We only run the dishwasher/clothes washer when they are full.
We unplug appliances not in use..
i unplug everything not being used
we keep lights off and use candles instead!!!
we changed all of our bulbs to e engery saving spiral bulbs
I unplug unused electronics.
I turn off all light and unplug unused items
We turn off lights and unplug electronics when not in use.
We make sure all the lights are out when no one is in a room and we use energy saving bulbs!
We save a lot by turning back temperatue on hot water heater
brich22 at earthlink dot net
we try to make sure that we use energy saver products star95011()yahoo()com
Turning off the lights when we don’t need them on, unplugging appliances when not in use & turning down the thermostat at night.
My husband and I always try to keep as many lights off as possible while we are home and while we are away from home and also…….we try and keep the temperature cool in the apartment to save energy
I unplug things when I’m not using them.
I always turn off lights and unplug items when not in use.
we try to turn out lights when we are not in the room
With 3 kids I have no choice but to try and save money. I make sure my kids set sleep timers for their tv at night as well as make them turn lights off when they are not using it
I turn out lights and the air convector when I don’t need it.
I use digital programable thermostats
We try to unplug things that are not in use.
I use small heaters a lot of the time and turn the hot water heater off when not needed and combine loads of laundry when possible.
I turn off electronics and unplug the ones I am not using
I unplug when I’m not using them
turn off lights and unplug stuff we’re not using
I make sure the lights are turned off, I do not run the water while brushing my teeth.
We try to keep everything unplugged that isn’t used everyday.
I unplug all if not needed.
I unplug things when not using them and try to keep lights turned off as much as possible
Keep the thermostat turned down (or up in summer), turn off lights, etc.
i unplug everything when i leave the house
I turn lights off and try to keep it as dark as I can. Hang alot of clothes to dry.
i try to save energy by using timers and unplugging appliances when they aren’t in use
During the day I rarely turn on lights, I just open the shades and if I am unplug anything I am not using
I turn off all lights when i leave a room.. and use energy saving bulbs
Open the blinds during the day to not have to turn on lights.
Use the natural light as long as possible before turning on the lights, and using CFL light bulbs.
we shut off lights when leaving a room
I keep the A/C and heat off, or on the most energy-conserving settings. It’s better to dress in layers, or stay cool with cold drinks.
We try to buy energy saving appliances.
Turn off lights and turn ac hotter when not at home.
wendym at cableone dot net
Thanks for the giveaway…we use Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs, use major appliances at off-peak hours, etc.
I unplug all non-essential electronics when not in use.