Room of Doom question: Power strip

[blue lander]

So I finally solved my perennial "Too many bulky power adapters to fit on my power strip" problem by buying some Powersquids. But now I have around 10 power adapters plugged in at the same time, and I'm worried about the amount of heat they're generating and the electricity they're wasting even when I'm not using them. The powersquids have an on/off switch on them, but it's inconvenient to reach behind my TV to turn them off every time.

A long, long time ago I had a power strip that had a wired remote control that would have been a perfect solution. The remote had three on/off buttons for three of the sockets (the rest were always on). So you could leave the strip behind the TV and turn the sockets on or off with the remote, since it had a 3 or 4 foot cable. Unfortunetly I can't find the damn thing anymore, so I'd like to buy another power strip with a remote (not too expensive). Does anybody know of a similar product that doesn't cost a fortune?

[Trebuken]

I am not aware of any remote strips, but they do have longer powerstrips with as 12/16/20 or even 24 outlets. they can bee four feet long so plenty of space between outlets. They can be had for around $50 last I checked...this is the solution I have been looking at.

In a previous thread it was 'determined' that the power being drawn leaving these systems pluggen in was virtually inconsequential.

[otaku]

never heard of a remote controlled power strip either, powersquids are great though. ANyway game consoles with the exception of the 360/ps3 use very little power, especially when compared to PCs.

[blue lander]

I had read somewhere that older power bricks consume a lot of energy even if the console they're connected to is turned off, but if it's just a few watts I couldn't care less. I'm not sure how leaving them plugged in all the time affects the lifetime of a power brick either. Leaving it on could put more wear and tear on it, or maybe turning them on and off constantly would be even worse.

To be honest, my main problem with leaving some of my older power adapters plugged in is that they hum and it's a little annoying.

[Cornelius]

I'd be curious to know the cost of leaving a brick plugged in, as it seems like I've been hearing more about electricity wasted in such a way lately. I do turn off my strip with most of those plugged into it anyway, I figure waste is waste, and it might only save me 10 bucks in a year, but hey, that's an extra game.

Anyway, my parents have a remote controlled gizmo that controls devices plugged into it and then it is plugged into an outlet. Theirs is cool because it is expandable so that one remote can control something like 20 different outlets or lights (you can retrofit overhead lights for it too). I'll have to see if I can track down what it is called.

Meanwhile, something like this (http://www.amazon.com/SVAT-WRC101-Wireless-Outdoor-Control/dp/B000HAVVKG) might be a solution.

[crazyjackcsa]

I'd be curious to know the cost of leaving a brick plugged in, as it seems like I've been hearing more about electricity wasted in such a way lately. I do turn off my strip with most of those plugged into it anyway, I figure waste is waste, and it might only save me 10 bucks in a year, but hey, that's an extra game.

Anyway, my parents have a remote controlled gizmo that controls devices plugged into it and then it is plugged into an outlet. Theirs is cool because it is expandable so that one remote can control something like 20 different outlets or lights (you can retrofit overhead lights for it too). I'll have to see if I can track down what it is called.

Meanwhile, something like this (http://www.amazon.com/SVAT-WRC101-Wireless-Outdoor-Control/dp/B000HAVVKG) might be a solution.

You can go to www.michaelbluejay.com/electricity to try and figure it out. They also make a device to measure how much electricity an item is using. But for fun (And to keep numbers easy) We'll say the average is five watts an hour. Now we'll take me for example: 8 consoles. 40 watts and hour. 960 watts a day (0.96 kilowatts.) 350 kilowatts a year@ ten cents a kilowatt hour = 35 dollars a year. And you never even turned the consoles on. Now take a look at everthing in your home that is drawing power and you aren't using. Basically if it has a light or sits on standby it's pulling power.

[Cornelius]

You can go to www.michaelbluejay.com/electricity to try and figure it out. They also make a device to measure how much electricity an item is using. But for fun (And to keep numbers easy) We'll say the average is five watts an hour. Now we'll take me for example: 8 consoles. 40 watts and hour. 960 watts a day (0.96 kilowatts.) 350 kilowatts a year@ ten cents a kilowatt hour = 35 dollars a year. And you never even turned the consoles on. Now take a look at everthing in your home that is drawing power and you aren't using. Basically if it has a light or sits on standby it's pulling power.
Adds up! Glad I do flip that power strip off then.

I looked it up, and the device my folks have is X10. I guess it is a little pricier, but you can upgrade as you go, and seems pretty cool. http://www.x10wirelesshome.com/remotes/x10_palmpad_remote_hr12a.html#starterpack

[blue lander]

That wireless remote looks like it'd do the trick, actually. I thought about X10, but it gets expensive and has more features than I need.

[FABombjoy]

I use a foot-activated switch to turn off all of my systems. Can't remember exactly where I found it, but it's meant for use with power tools.

[Barbarianoutkast85]

I have my powerstripe laying on the floor next to my entertainment system. If I wouldn't be able to plug all my consoles into one strip. So I just plug and unplug the power brick whenever I way to play a console. When I'm done I unplug not because I'm worried about wasting the energy, its because the bricks get warm and the power-strip is sitting on the carpet and I dont want to have to worry about starting a fire because the heat. Becuase if I started a fire and my collection was destroyed, I'll be damned if I hunt down all 670-ish Sega Genesis games I own again to have a complete collection. So my advice is if you dont have the space on your power strips just plug and unplug the consoles, and place the power strip some place easy-to-reach.