Power gadget set to cut electricity bills
Turn off all your equipment at the push of a button
A company based in the UK has launched an innovative way to quickly and easily turn off all that household electronic equipment more often than not left on power-consuming 'standby' mode: a radio-controlled power plug.
Ivy's Standby Buster: power cutter
Dubbed the Standby Buster, it's a three-pin adaptor that sits between, say, your TV's power cord and the mains socket. The gadget comes with its own remote control - push the button and the power to the telly is cut completely.
TVs, games consoles, DVD players, set-top boxes et al may consume much less power when they're switched into standby mode then when they're operational, but they still gobble up electricity - in total around seven per cent of the UK's energy usage, Standby Buster maker Ivy Energy Saving said.
The Standby Buster consumes less than 1W - much less than a stack of AV equipment. It'll result in less carbon production too.
One Standby Buster and a remote costs £15, but Ivy's also offering the gadget in packs of three plus a remote for £30. A single Standby Buster costs £9. The remote can control up to four Standby Busters.
Ivy reckons its gadgets can save you up to £40 a year, based on calculations made by consumer organisation Which?
Available now direct from the manufacturer's website, the Standby Buster will go on sale through Argos stores next month.
COMMENTS
newtons 4th law
so, if i bought 4 of these and plugged them all into each other, would i save even more of my electricity, including that being used by the device itself ? or am i just crap at science ?
Could help
As an aging radio amateur, I applaud anything that will pique the adolescent's interest in things RF. The time spent figuring out how to bedevil the old coot who wouldn't return your ball will be amply repaid when the rest of us who know which end of the electron is up saunter off this mortal (scramble-wound) coil.
Of course...
It can be handy for disabled people or the very lazy to 'standby-ize' something that can't normally be switched off remotely - like a lamp, or radio or cooling fan etc. -- it's the "this saves the environment" slant that is the bogus one!
Me bad back...
Saves bending down, there's lovely isn't it?
Not exactly new...
I've had a similar unit in my home for some time now. While the best way to economise is clearly to use the flippin' power switch (duh!) it does come in handy for holiday absences; I can turn off the entire network, monitors, storage units, printers, ADSL router and all the wall wort chargers that are normally needful - all at the push of a button rather than crawling in the dust. Yeah, I know, but it is easier....
