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Bought a $40 'energy saving' power strip and my bill went up

Saw this smart power strip advertised as saving you money by cutting power to idle devices. Hooked it up in my living room with the TV and game console. After two months my electric bill actually went up by about $12 because the strip itself draws power constantly for its wifi chip. Anyone else find these things do more harm than good?
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2 Comments
ellis.robert
Honestly, those "smart" strips are a scam. The wifi chip eats more than the standby power it cuts.
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david739
david73919d agoMost Upvoted
Man yeah I totally felt the same way at first. I went through three different brands before finding one that actually made sense for my setup. The trick for me was getting one with a physical kill switch on the remote - that way the wifi module is completely dead when I don't need it. My power bill dropped noticeably after I started turning it off during the day while I'm at work. Just have to remember to hit that button before you leave the house.
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