Remote-Outlet

Tag Archive: switch

Innovative for Smart Energy Monitoring

My Gigabyte motherboard and AMD X6 are capable of power conservation and indeed the whole system goes to sleep within an hour of inactivity. With this meter I found that the computer, a 24″ Viewsonic LED monitor and an external hard drive only use 4.1 watts when powered down. It was able to place the display on my computer desk for easy viewing. I set the cost display to $0.10 per kwh so I can see the averaged power usage per month or year. My actual cost per kwh is greater but my utility uses a tiered rate system so a dollar amount may not be valid. My next tests will be on the television and the refrigerator (the socket is rated at 15 amps). One thing that would make this better would be if it could be plugged into a USB port for data acquisition on a computer. But I am still very impressed with the performance of this device.

It is priced similiarly and may have a little better functionality.I like the daily/annual energy cost switch. The fact that it does not have to be viewed at the outlet and has some cord attached to it helps a lot to check the status without moving furniture around. Last but not least it is a pretty pleasant design.

I work on a television program and we demo’d this product for a segment on energy efficient products. I found the Conserve easy to use, easy to understand and a great way to find out how much phantom load you’re appliance is costing you. This was much easier to use than the product we compared it to, the Kill-A-Watt.

It’s ridiculously simple to install and use – flip the switch, plug it in, and plug something into it. It turns off automatically after a set period. It could be really useful for items that don’t turn off automatically – like hair curlers, lights, etc., when you just need a little power.

On the “green” side of things, it’s silly. Supposedly it helps prevent vampire drain from things like cell phone chargers, video game chargers, etc. I’ve got a tester that shows the amount of power things draw – these items don’t draw anything anymore unless something is plugged in. Makes buying this item kind of pointless if you’re doing it to stop vampire power drains.

Overall, it’s a great product, but don’t be duped by the purported green benefits or power savings. They aren’t there.

February 10, 2014 Outlet, , , , 0 Read more >

Very Well Thought-out Product

My application required the three-prong feature, or for me to use multiple adapters. The only switches in my local hardware store were two-prong, so this suited my needs. Now, my application is for an overhead lamp in the laundry area of my garage. It has a power cord hanging down from it to plug into a wall AC socket. No switches. This product has an LED light embedded in the switch. Except it ‘lit’ when the switch is on, and dark when the switch is off. This is a bit counter-intuitive for my application – I would rather have the swtich lit when the overhead light is off so I can navigate to it in my darkened or dimly lit (depending on the time of day I do my laundary) garage. But it works the opposite of that.

Electricity cost/kwh can easily be set, and co2/khw can be set as well. Averages tell you the yearly/monthly cost based on duty cycle / historical usage. I read the 1-star reviews and there are some mistakes and misinformation there, however, one legitimate complaint is that it does not give you total KWH used since beginning a measurement. You can back-out the math to easily calculate this based on the yearly cost projection if you know the amount of time spent measuring, but this is a legitimate shortcoming that it can’t simply display the number. Overall however, a VERY well thought out product and still squeaks by to deserve 5-stars.

This is very handy when you have devices that continue to draw power when “off” (like electronics with power bricks and other so-called “vampire” appliances that constantly draw power) or appliances for which you want to have extra assurance that they’re off (e.g., irons). Given that U.S. power outlets down’t have switches, I usually unplug such appliances. This solution is more convenient. It essentially introduces a power switch right at the outlet, cutting power completely to whatever is plugged in when you toggle the switch, without having to unplug the device. It’s like a power strip without the big strip. It’s a relatively low cost and very convenient way to completely cut the power without having to unplug and replug appliances all the time. I sort of wish U.S. electrical outlets were wired with this functionality, as in the rest of the world. In the meantime, this is a relatively cheap and simple solution.

February 9, 2014 Outlet, , , , 0 Read more >

Probably the Best Option Right Now

The Kill-a-watt type meters are bulky, and plug into an outlet where they’re really hard to read.

This unit solves both problems: The bulk at the outlet is reduced, although it can still be improved; there’s no reason the bulk needs to be at the outlet at all.

And the display is not only nice and large, easy to read; it is also connected with a wire that allows you certain freedom in where you put the meter. The cable could be longer, but, you know, this is still a fantastic unit, and reasonably priced.

I bought this primarily for my bathroom so I could turn on my speakers and if I forgot to turn them back off, the timer would do that on my behalf. However, I do like to shut it off manually to save energy before the 3 hour wait is done (30 minutes is too short for morning rituals) and it just plain doesn’t work. I can turn it on, but turning it off requires pulling it from the wall. Probably a fluke, but there should be some product consistency.

I originally was going to buy the P3 Kill-A-Watt but thisdevice allows you to plug it into the wall and look at the monitor at a distance with the lengthy wired lead. There are adaptor leads for the P3 but this made more sense.

I would suggest this device for anyone wanting to know how much energy your various devices use.

I think the concept here is spot on. However, I have used routinely “light strips” (power strips) that do the same thing, some of these even with lighted switches, most of these available at various places including hardware stores for comparable prices but having up to 6 outlets which can be handy if there might be some additional item that you need to plug in to the same circuit without of course overloading the circuit. True, even the 3′ corded power strips can be a tad bulky compared to a single switch item like this, so you really have to decide what would work best for you.

One thing I mentioned to Amazon in their “Tell us what we missed” section regarding the description is that I can’t see any mention of the maximum amperage or wattage rating (someone please correct me if I’ve overlooked that piece of information). Given that they describe how this can be used with appliances that are typically high wattage (coffee pots, etc.) I would ASSUME that the amperage is at least 15A, but ideally this should be specified in the information for the product.

February 8, 2014 Outlet, , , 0 Read more >

Good If You are Interested in How Power is Used

Not only will you keep track of the energy you use so that you can keep the electric bill payments down, you can also feel good that you are conserving energy and helping out the environment. It’s a win/win situation. Highly recommended product! It is also a great teaching tool for children about energy consumption. When the switch is off it turns off the power to the mixer which is good. Also, its spaced properly so we can use the below outlet for something else if needed.

It works great. I put in how much our electricity costs and bam I know exactly how much something costs. The averaging feature is what really makes this nice.

There is no way this unit can tell me what my carbon foot print is. Am I using my solar or wind or am I using the power company’s coal or nuke power plant. So, ignore that feature it’s useless.

I like that I get to put in my cost per kwh. I took my power bill and divided by the kwh they said I used and it came out to $0.13kwh (including taxes). I entered .13 and now it is giving me “MY” usage.

I like the long cord between the plug and display unit. Don’t have to bend over to read it. It shows me when I am using power and how much. Plugged my old fridge in for 30 days and it cost me $8.00 a month. Plugged my new BIGGER fridge in and it cost me $3.67 a month. That’s a $51.96 a year savings in power. Therefore, I will turn a profit on the new fridge in 36.5 years.

I’m trying to figure out why my electric bill is so outrageously high.

It’s the dumb things that add up. My cable modem, router, NAS, and notebook is running me $14.50 a month. My remote control and cordless phone is $1.50 a month.

This unit is great if all you want to do is see how much an item is costing you in electricity.

This unit is great for the cord between the plug and the reader.

I took off one star for the look I’m left, I’m Green, I’m care about my carbon foot print stuff that it can’t truly measure.

I would give it 5 for the fact it is inexpensive, works, and does what I need. I use it for my curling iron. Only complaint–the light does not stay on when the power is on. It does turn off at the end of the selected time.

I ordered from amazon but was disappointed because they didn’t come in retail boxes. Just plain boxes and I started to think they were used. They are straight forward to install and setup (did it without looking at instructions). I use them with my cell phone set for 3 hour charge and my razor for a 1/2 charge. They worked as advertised. The big negative is the LED on the top which tells you if it’s on. It’s not clearly lite when on. It can only be seen clearly at night and even then I sometimes have a hard time. Both have the same problem so I it makes me think they are what they are. After using it for a while I’d also like them to have a reset button or a off feature to reset it. Otherwise I have to unplug it. Be nice to have at least two outlets to plug-in my toothbrush too but you can come up with a solution for that too as I did. Overall it works as advertised and the LED just sucks.

February 7, 2014 Outlet, , , 0 Read more >

Killawatt was a Waste of Money

“Perfect! We have so many things that draw power even when not being used!” and grabbed it. Yet I can’t find a practical use for it. All of my expensive electronics are plugged into surge protectors or UPSes (Uninterruptible Power Sources), and those are the things that draw the most power when they’re not turned on. Because you have to turn this power switch on and off yourself, it’s not useful if you can’t easily reach the outlet. And if you can easily reach the outlet, you can simply unplug whatever’s plugged in, like your toaster or a heating pad. I can easily see potential annoyance developing if you go to turn on an appliance that’s plugged into this, only to realize after your toast isn’t toasting that you forgot to flip the switch on this gadget. So really, it has very limited usage and is now going to be just another item in the junk drawer! I’d happily pay twice the amount for one that had a wireless remote control on/off switch…now THAT would be useful!!

For any plug not at eye level this is not the best choice. It looks like it glows in the dark but it does not. The switch lights up when its on which is just wasteful. Captain Planet would not be happy. I feel like it costs more because of greenwashing and I’m sure you could probably find a cheaper switch at a hardware store that does not light up when you use it. I brought a wireless remote control plug set made for Christmas lights by GE that was $5 instead of the $30 conserve remote power strip. It came with three remote plugs and they can be used outside. Its good to be green but do not let companies ripe you off.

Because it isn’t really the product or the manufacturers fault that the product didn’t do what I expected it to do. If anyone is to blame it could be the copy description on the website. I would recommend if you are thinking of purchasing this item that you go to the actual product’s website and read the features and benefits on that website.

I have been using it a little more and I changed my mind. I am using it to test the wattage on my computer and it does a great job. It tells you the real amount of watts it uses, how much does it cost you yearly to use it, and its carbon footprint. hopefully they’ll come up with a bluetooth version that connects to your pc or smartphone

I got a few of these and a few of the smart sockets (Conserve Socket F7C009q Energy-Saving Outlet) with built in 1/2 hr, 3hr, and 6hr timer. The advantage this has over that is the on off switch. I prefer the smart socket with timer. In the end I guess that is what I was looking for but I’m putting this socket to good use as a way to conserve energy when an appliance is not in use. But on that subject I think I would just as well get a power strip with on off button.

January 25, 2014 Outlet, , , , 0 Read more >

Great Device, Far Superior to the Kill-a-watt

This device tells you that a 60 watt light uses 60 watts of energy, or a 20 watt device uses 20 watts of energy, or a 100 watt device uses 100 watts (who would have guessed?)… and then tells you how much it would cost if you had it on 24/7. Does not calculate how much cumulative energy items that turn on and off use, which is what you probably actually want to learn. This device does all basic math you could do anyway if you tried with a calculator. I did figure out my cable TV box uses 19 watts of energy. My microwave uses almost 1.5 watts for the clock. Other than that not much use.

Simply put it at the origin point of your plug and it will keep your device from draining power when you aren’t using it.

I thought this would be a perfect item for the house, in my neck of the woods electricity is expensive so such a device would pay for itself quickly, and it would…in theory.

Not that it doesn’t do what it’s designed to do, you plug it in and simply use that switch to power down and up the device that is plugged in, piece of cake right? Not exactly.

You see the only problem is one could accomplish the same thing by unplugging the device each time. People don’t do this because it’s too much of a bother to get up and unplug the device, hence the Belkin conserve power switch.

But it only takes a few days to discover that people who aren’t willing to get up and unplug a device, aren’t willing to get up to turn it off via the Belkin. and when they DO remember they forget they’ve done so and end up upset when they have to get up and turn the switch back on to use their gaming systems.

So there is very little difference overall. It’s a great idea in theory but frankly a person that concerned wouldn’t have to buy it. Now if you can get a wireless control for the switch.

I set in my cost of electricity from my power bill, plugged in my freezer and found out how much a month it costs to run. I love a product that does exactly what you want it to do. I bought this one because of the 5 ft cord. The plug in is behind the freezer making a none cord thingy unusable.

Easy to set up and great real time calculation of energy use. Has helped me put a few energy hogs in my home on timers or other ways of saving them from running up my power bill.

January 24, 2014 Outlet, , , , 0 Read more >