Worth It Or Not: Do Power Strips Save Energy?

Saving energy isn’t just good for the environment; it’s also great for your wallet, as consuming excessive energy only serves to increase your energy bills each month. Smart power strips have become more popular because many homeowners believe they can save money. So, do power strips save energy?

Smart power strips save energy and money because they don’t pull power from electronic devices that are on standby. This can shave 20% off your monthly electric bill or even more, depending on how many power strips you use. You can maximize savings if you turn your power strip off or unplug it when you don’t need to use the devices on that grid.

However, you should never plug your refrigerator, dishwasher, washing machine, or dryer into a smart power strip. This could cause a power surge or even damage the strip beyond repair.

Follow along as we explore whether or not power strips save energy and see if they are worth it.

Smart power strips can save lots of money each year. Standard power strips don’t typically conserve energy, however. Smart power strips save money because they can cut power to a device when it is on standby.

Typically, you would need to unplug a device when it’s on standby if you don’t want it to use any energy. Modern smart power strips can tell how much energy each device that is plugged into it is drawing.

When a device stops drawing enough power to be considered active, the power strip will cut off all power to it.

Power will be restored once you turn that device back on. You can reduce your energy consumption by at least 20% if you switch to a smart power strip.

However, you should never plug heavy-duty appliances into a smart power strip. For example, dishwashers and washing machines can draw too much power and cause short circuits.

Unplugging power strips can save money and energy. However, that is mostly unnecessary if you have smart power strips. Smart power strips automatically stop drawing power when you aren’t using specific devices.

However, you can maximize energy savings if you unplug your smart power strip. It’s a great idea to unplug power strips at night before you go to bed to save money. Electronic devices still use power even when they are turned off or on standby mode.

Try to make a habit of unplugging unused electrical devices and power strips when you don’t need them. This can increase your energy savings by 5% each month, and that adds up quickly.

However, the difference is minimal enough that many homeowners leave their smart power strips on at all times out of convenience, and that is fine.

Appliances such as washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers pull the most electricity in a house. Heavy appliances make up 15% of your energy consumption each month. However, they can consume much more energy if you have multiple heavy appliances and many people in your household.

You will need to run the dishwasher and washing machine much more if you live in a household with many people. It is hard to cut corners and save energy when it comes to appliances. They draw lots of power and also rely on your water heater.

The combination of heating water and pulling that much power can greatly increase your energy bill each month. You can reduce your energy consumption if you limit yourself to a single refrigerator.

Surge protectors can save money because they reduce energy consumption. This can lower your energy bill throughout the year. However, your best bet is to limit how many electronics you plug in at a time.

Running too many electronics on a single grid can increase your chances of a power surge. Surge protectors also save money because they can protect your electronics. Power surges are almost certain to damage or break your electronics.

Protecting your electronics from power surges means that you won’t need to replace them if a surge occurs. Modern electronics use more electricity than they used to. Because of that, it’s worthwhile to use a surge protector because you are at a greater risk for power surges than even 10 years ago.

You can plug lamps, computers, laptops, and phone chargers into power strips. Any electrical device that draws lots of power should never be plugged into a power strip. Devices that draw lots of power need to be plugged into their own outlets.

You shouldn’t even plug a portable heater into a power strip. Many homeowners have had to learn the hard way that portable heaters draw much more power than computers, lamps, and chargers. Power strips can typically handle power tools such as drills.

It’s important to read the label on your power strip before you plug devices into it. The label will tell you the maximum power load that is appropriate for your power strip. Exceeding the maximum power load can cause a power surge, breaking the strip and any device that is plugged into it.

Power strips save energy and they are worth it because you will save money. You will save at least 20% per month on energy if you upgrade to a smart power strip. Modern power strips don’t draw energy from devices that are on standby or turned off.

Unplug your smart power strip or turn it off when you aren’t using it to save the most money possible. Avoid plugging heavy appliances such as refrigerators into your power strip. They draw too much power for modern power strips and could cause a power surge and damage your electronics.