The Engineering of Smart Power Strips: Master and Controlled Outlets
A smart power strip (also known as an advanced power strip, or APS) is an electrical device designed to prevent standby power draw from peripheral devices. In a typical home setup, secondary electronics (like computer monitors, printers, speakers, and game consoles) remain plugged in and active even when the primary device (the computer tower or television) is turned off. These secondary devices continue to draw standby current, contributing to vampire loads.
Smart power strips solve this problem by incorporating a "master" outlet and several "controlled" (or secondary) outlets. The power strip contains internal circuitry that monitors the electrical current drawn by the master outlet. When the master device goes into standby or is turned off, the current drops below a specified threshold, and the strip automatically cuts power to all controlled outlets, eliminating their standby draw.
To model the operational energy costs of individual appliances, check our appliance energy cost calculator or estimate standby costs with the vampire power calculator.