Belkin’s Conserve Surge Protector Kills Standby Power Drain Dead

Lifestyle Conserve Surge.JPGIt’s been a long time coming, but to coincide with Earth Hour this week, Belkin is finally launching their Conserve Surge protector in Australia. The power board not only protects your precious gadgets from power surges, but features six out of eight sockets that can be switched off completely – killing even the standby power drain – using a supplied remote. The two remaining points are for products that need juice 24 hours a day, like your alarm clock or your DVR.

The remote works over three channels and has a range of up to 20 metres. One remote can also control up to eight different boards, throughout your home, meaning you can just flick a switch at night and all your power sucking appliances will go to sleep until you wake up in the morning. Alternatively, you can have three remotes around the house controlling different zones.

The downside (and there’s always a downside, isn’t there) is the cost. Each unit costs $250, which isn’t cheap. But it does offer a $250,000 guarantee for all your equipment, and compared to other surge protectors from the like of Monster, it’s fairly reasonable considering the energy saving capabilities. And if you’ve got some high-end AV gear, that kind of safety net could pay for itself.

We’ll have a hands on a bit later in the week…

[Belkin]