Belkin BG108000-04 Conserve Energy-Saving Surge Strip
by Belkin Inc.
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List Price: Our Price: $33.95 You Save: $16.04 (32%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $17.59 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Belkin BG108000-04 Conserve Energy-Saving Surge Strip
Customer Review: Been waiting so long .. it couldn't come soon enough!
Summary: 5 Stars
So I got one of these and within the first month I saw a $50 reduction in my power bill. Seriously!
It all started after I got a power meter and started going crazy to find what was sucking power around my house. My power bills where at 100+ and it wasn't making any since. So I started measuring and found out that my entertainment center was eating 80 - 85 Watts of power when it was OFF! Now everything I have didn't exactly cut off and turns out my Sharp Aquos was eating the most power off.
Devices OFF/suspend Watts (estimating from memory)
Sharp Aquos 40
Wii 5
Apple TV 12
Popcorn Hour 15
Wireless Bridge 10
Oppo DVD player 1
Reciever 5
Now the Apple TV & Popcorn Hour actually never really turn off. Also no way to really power off the wireless bridge. I started pulling the power for the surge protector, but this was a pain to unplug and replug in every time. Most of the time I just left it plugged in.
Then I saw this! I got and it's so worth the money. Makes it as easy as flipping a switch.
One thing you have to get used to with the remote switch is you can't just flip it like a light switch, you have to press down to assert you are turning it on or off. I think this could be a safety feature to ensure that if someone leans against it it will not power everything on or off. Would be bad if your in the middle of a big game and someone leans against it and turns everything off.
It does though have 2 "always" on ports that do not get cut off. For devices like DVRs or routers.
Yes highly recommend. The wireless remote makes it simple and easy to completely shutdown what you want and not have anymore devices eating electricity when your not using them. Paid for itself in the first month.
Customer Review: I'm getting spoiled by the remote control
Summary: 5 Stars
Although I joke that the TV is always on at my house, the truth is that the TVs and DVD/BR players are "off" most of the time. But of course, unless they are unplugged or their power strip turned off, they are really in "standby" mode, consuming electricity. I wanted to end that standby consumption, but I know I wouldn't want to keep pulling the plugs out of the sockets and then having to plug them in again all the time.
I wasn't looking for a surge protector/power strip with a remote control. I just wanted one with a simple setup: one or two "always on" outlets and the rest of the outlets managed by an on/off switch. I can easily step across the room and reach the power strip into which my TV and components are plugged, and hit a switch there to cut off power to the TV and DVD player while leaving it on for the DVR/cable box. I have a power strip/surge protector like that for my secondary TV/DVD/DVR setup. But now those simple power strips are pretty much impossible to find. This fancier one with its remote control had many good reviews, so I ordered it a month ago.
Now I'm spoiled. I keep the power strip remote on the table with the other remote controls, and almost always remember to click it off when I'm done with my TV viewing. I don't know if this gadget will ever pay for itself in saved electricity costs, but I'm happy to be reducing the energy that my electronics consume in standby mode. I do not regret this purchase.
Customer Review: Convenient way to cut home theatre power consumption
Summary: 5 Stars
My wife and I have been using this steadily for about a month or two now, so I feel confident in its reception at home.
First off, its a power strip, so installation was a breeze. I particularly like how clearly labeled all the outlets are. Thanks to the always on outlets, its perfect for a home theater that makes use of a DVR or wireless router. The remote works from a significant range if necessary, though we now leave it on the coffee table.
Pros:
~~Cuts down standby power usage. In our case, standby usage comes from a large plasma display, 2 gaming systems, a subwoofer, and an audio receiver. So far, my kill-a-watt suggests that we're saving close to $25 a month by using it religiously.
~~Incredibly simple and easy to use
~~High WAF, my wife learned to use it every time within three days, which is a house record for any electronic other than the Wii wheel that came with Mariokart.
~~R/F remote allows signal to travel through walls and theater cabinets
~~You can set up multiple strips to respond to multiple units
Cons:
~~The remote is way too ugly to mount on your wall, especially given how large the supplied holder is.
~~It adds another remote to the mix (currently, we use a Harmony for everything but the strip)
Overall, this is a fantastic purchase and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to reduce their monthly power bill.
Customer Review: Fun, convenient, responsible
Summary: 5 Stars
Excellent product.
You can turn everything off with one switch. You can have multiple units controlled with one switch. or you can have multiple units controlled by multiple switches. The switches have 8 different codes, so you can have up to 8 different independent switches within the same range.
You can switch off your router and internet connection when you are away to save energy if you want. It does not do any damage and typically takes less than 30 seconds to come back on. A wireless router typically uses 10 watts. Modems use about he same power. You could save yourself as much as 10kWh per month by turning them off when you are not at home. Depending on where you live and what your utility company charges you for power, this would save you $1-2 per month. Some video game systems use a fair amount of power in stand-by mode. Still, it would likely take at least a year or two for this device to pay itself back.
Another application for this device would be to turn on a light remotely in a room where either the light switch is in an inconvenient location or where a light is not installed.
I'm sure there are many more creative uses for this surge protector. It provides a convenience and saves a little energy and a little money. It will take a while to pay for itself, but if you needed to buy a surge protector anyway or just want to try something new and neat, buy one of these.
Customer Review: Truly a SMART Surge Power Strip
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this to show my family how easy it is to control those electronic devices that suck power while we "sleep." It works like a charm!
I made the mistake of connecting not only my cable box, but my DVR, too ... along with my TV, wireless headset (separately chargeable batteries), VCR/DVD player combo. It took forever for my cable box to "reload" after being switched off and none of my shows recorded on my DVR (duh!) Easy remedy ... those two items now plug into the "always ON" outlets!
Now that my family thinks this is "cool" and my husband knows it works ... we will changeover all of our surge strips. I will also use the "Belkin AG110030-04 Energy Saving Surge Strip for Home Theater" for the equipment in his retreat.
I have a bad back, so constantly bending down to the floor or reaching behind equipment made it extremely difficult and painful for me to power surge strips off and on ... the remote switch makes all the difference. I didn't install it on the wall, it's on my nightstand ... I just reach over to turn it off before I fall asleep. So easy!
Highly recommend!