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SALT LAKE CITY -- In many households this holiday season, the biggest, and probably the last, item to be opened up will be some neat, probably expensive, electronic toy.
A big screen TV, new laptop, play station or smart phone is on many people's gift lists. And all of these gadgets cause the electric power meter on the side of the house spin a little faster.
"On average, in home electricity, about 15 to 20 percent comes from things like an entertainment center, your TV, DVR, your home office," says Maria O'mara, spokesperson for Rocky Mountain Power.
Since everyone likes to save a buck whenever they can, there's another electronic gadget that you should wrap up and put under the tree as well this year. A "smart plug" or "smart plug strip". Basically, if you forget to turn stuff off, they'll do it for you.
They resemble the multi-plug surge protectors, which help protect electronic items from damage during fluctuations in current.
The smart plugs keep an eye on your power use. Some monitor the electrical load. If the plug detects a drop in current use, it'll power down.
Other smart plugs work by "occupancy sensing"; that is, a motion detector. If there's not any movement in the room for a determined amount of time the smart plug will shut off all items plugged in to it. You can adjust that with a time delay setting screw on the unit.
The sensor also detects when you arrive.
"You walk in to your office and that's when everything comes on," O'Mara says. "Your computer turns on, maybe an electronic calculator, a light, and if you leave for several hours and you forget to turn it off, it'll turn everything off for you."
If you have items that you don't want the sensor to control, each strip also has a couple of designated outlets.
Whether we're at home or at the office, we have a lot of things plugged in, all the time. The charging unit for your cell phone or those tiny lights on the side of your computer monitors illuminating the on/off switch, electricity is always flowing.
These smart power strips have been available for a few years now, but are gaining in popularity as we keep adding more electronic items to our lives. The strips cost between $20 and $90, but O'Mara says over the course of a year, they'll reduce your power bill in the $30 to $60 dollar range.
"But, if you think about it, you can recoup that investment in a matter of months. And if you're going to give it as a gift, it's a gift that keeps on giving!"
Email: [kmccord@ksl.com](<mailto: kmccord@ksl.com>)
