How to Use a Smart Power Strip

Standby power — the electricity your devices pull when they're supposedly "off" — is one of the most frustrating ways to lose money. You're paying for something you're not using, and most people never see it on their bill. A smart power strip fixes it with one purchase and zero habit changes.

What standby power actually costs you

The average U.S. household has 40+ devices drawing power at all times. Chargers, TVs, game consoles, cable boxes, soundbars, printers, coffee makers with clocks, microwaves with displays, laptops on sleep. Each one draws a small amount — usually 1 to 8 watts — but together they add up to 5–10% of your electricity bill.

For a household with a $1,500 annual electric bill, that's $75–$150 a year spent on nothing. It's the easiest waste to eliminate, because you don't change any habit — the strip does it for you.

The three types of power strips (only one is "smart")

Regular power strip

A $5 strip with a switch. It does nothing automatically, but if you remember to flip the switch every night, it eliminates standby power. Useful if you want the cheapest fix and don't mind the habit.

Timer power strip

Costs $15–$25. Lets you set a daily on/off cycle. Useful for scheduled devices — a router that reboots nightly, a lamp on a timer. Not great for media centers where you don't want a fixed schedule.

Smart power strip (advanced power strip / APS)

Costs $25–$50. This is what the guide is about. It has one "control" outlet and several "dependent" outlets. When the device in the control outlet turns off (say, the TV), the dependent outlets (soundbar, console, streaming device, subwoofer) automatically cut power. Closest thing to a magic button in home energy saving.

How to set one up

Step 1: Identify the right "control" device

Whatever goes in the control outlet is what triggers the strip. When that device goes into standby or off, the strip cuts the other outlets. Good control devices:

• TV (media center setup)
• Desktop computer (home office setup)
• Gaming console (in a dedicated setup)

Bad control devices: anything that stays on 24/7 (cable modem, router, DVR you record with). If the control device never sleeps, the strip never turns off the dependent outlets.

Step 2: Plug the media center (or office) into it

A typical media center arrangement:

• Control outlet: TV
• Dependent outlets: soundbar, streaming stick or set-top box, game console, subwoofer — anything that only runs when the TV is on
• Always-on outlets: cable modem, router — these need continuous power

Most smart strips have both switched and unswitched outlets. Use unswitched for anything that must stay on. Use switched for everything that can sleep.

Step 3: Test it once

Turn the TV off. Within 30 seconds, the soundbar and other dependent devices should click off (some strips have a small delay by design — this prevents cutting power during brief standby moments). If your phone charger on a dependent outlet no longer charges with the TV off, everything's working.

Where smart strips save the most

Media centers

This is the biggest win. A TV, soundbar, streaming device, and game console together draw 15–30 watts in standby. That's $15–$30 per year just in this one spot. The strip cuts it to zero whenever the TV is off.

Home offices

A desktop PC, monitor, printer, and desk lamp can draw 10–25 watts in standby. If you leave the office in the evening and come back the next morning, that's 15 hours of wasted power per day. A smart strip with the PC as the control device cuts all of it.

Entertainment consoles

Modern game consoles have a "quick start" mode that keeps them drawing 10–15 watts continuously for instant resume. If you rarely use that feature, put the console on a strip with the TV — the strip forces a full shutdown every time.

Home theaters

Projectors, receivers, amplifiers, subwoofers, and streaming boxes all draw standby power. A single strip handles all of them.

How much a smart strip actually saves

Typical household: 1 media center + 1 home office.

• Media center standby: 20W × 24 × 365 = 175 kWh/year × $0.12 = $21/year
• Home office standby: 15W × 24 × 365 = 131 kWh/year × $0.12 = $16/year
• Total: $37/year in standby power eliminated

If you have a game console, home theater, or multiple TVs, the savings scale up. Households with heavy electronics setups often save $80–$150 a year with two or three strips.

The strips cost $25–$50 each. Payback time: under a year, sometimes under six months.

Common questions and gotchas

Will it hurt my devices to cut power?

No. Electronics are designed to be powered on and off. The only risk is for devices that write data while shutting down — like a computer — but most smart strips have a delay that gives the control device time to power down properly before cutting the dependent outlets.

Will my cable box lose its settings?

Modern cable boxes store settings in non-volatile memory — they survive a power cut. If your DVR records while you're away, put it on an always-on outlet, not on a dependent outlet.

What about my smart TV?

Some smart TVs need a few seconds of standby to receive firmware updates or respond to remote commands. If you're worried, plug the TV into the control outlet (so it stays powered when it's off) and everything else into dependent outlets.

Do I need one for each room?

One per media center is the standard setup. A second one for a home office is a great addition. Beyond that, the returns get smaller — but if you have a game room or second TV, they're worth it.

Frequently Asked Questions