Good Timing: Belkin Puts Energy Savings Into A Powerstrip

While most businesses focus all of their attention on cutting electricity costs in the data center, Belkin International states that IT energy at the workstation accounts for 50 percent of a company's overall usage. Due to standby power (the energy wasted by office electronics that continue to consume electricity even after they are powered off), much of the waste occurs at the workstation as well because there is a dependency on the end user to shut down the equipment.

Following this thought process, Belkin created the Conserve Surge with Timer, the first in a line that will focus on ways for IT and facility departments to help manage electric usage. This device takes a standard powerstrip and adds timer functionality to help businesses cut down their electrical costs due to waste.

Looking like a typical powerstrip, the Conserve Surge with Timer has two outlets that are always on. There are six more outlets, including two spaced for transformer bricks that are switchable. What sets this surge protector apart, however, is a little mouselike switch that plugs into the end of the unit and is placed somewhere on or near the user's desk.

Upon arrival at work, the user simply presses the desktop button, and all the devices plugged into the switched outlets will turn on. The pressing of this button also activates an 11-hour timer, allowing for a normal workday and then some.

At the end of the day, the user presses the timer button again to cut power to the devices. Should he or she leave for the day without pressing the button, the timer will automatically power the devices off at the end of the 11-hour period. Conscientious employees who leave before the 11 hours are up can simply press the button again to shut the switched outlets off.

About 15 minutes before the timer cuts power, an LED on the button will start to flash a warning of the upcoming action. If the user is still working at that point, he or she just has to press the button again, and the timer will reset to another 11 hours. Not surprisingly, when the CRN Test Center evaluated the device, everything worked exactly as expected.

Surge protectors that cut power to devices are becoming more prevalent in the market as businesses look to cut costs wherever possible. The Belkin Conserve Surge with Timer takes the process one step further by automating it.