When choosing an adaptor or extension lead, it's important to consider the type of plug you need to convert and the number of devices you need to power. Adaptors and extension leads come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so you should choose one that is appropriate for your specific needs. But it’s no mean feat breaking the habits of a lifetime, and besides, most of our technology and appliances are positioned in such a way as to make turning things off at the wall a complicated exercise in stretching and exasperation! So what can be done? Embrace the extension lead Ensuring you can heat your extension affordably is a key issue. Increasing your floor space may mean you need to upgrade your heating system.

It could even stand on a desktop and not be too obtrusive and you would also be able to take advantage of the five USB ports for direct charging of devices. The Kasa smart home lineup has cameras and smart light bulbs too, so you can kit out a decent smart home with these products. This will let you group multiple devices together, use Scenes to tell different devices to do different things with one tap, and create Automations so your lamp can turn on when your camera senses motion. This means without a couple of extension leads to hand you’re going to be running around your house maniacally plugging and unplugging like a telephone switchboard operator from the fifties. Metal Oxide Varistors are the most important electronic components inside Surge Protectors that perform the “magic” filtering of excess voltage. They have a limited lifespan. (Image credit: Tripp Lite)Cord length: 1.8m, Dimensions: 55 x 26 x 25cm, Max Wattage: 2500W, Surge protection: Yes What are the best extension leads? Finally, some surge protectors are equipped with fail-to-safe conditions, also known as automatic shutdown technology and "fail to shutdown". When the surge protector experiences a surge and the arrestors reach their end of life, the device stops sending power to your devices, telling you in no uncertain terms that it's time to replace it. How to choose the best surge protector for you For the technically inclined who want to know: it’s small electronic components called Metal Oxide Varistors, or MOVs for short, which are more often used for this filtering of surges. Other types of filters are gas discharge arrestors which are often seen in antenna protectors, but most of the time, MOVs are used, often in combination with other components like capacitors. There are two switches to control the front six outlets plus the USB ports and another to control the further six outlets, which adds to the safety and energy-saving features of the unit itself. An 'Away' mode randomly turn plugs on and off during a set period of time – ideal for using with lamps and perhaps a radio when you’re on your hols. Plus, it also has a handy runtime report so you can see how long the device was used for.

What's unique about this surge protector is that each of its AC outlet - it has four - has its own switch, which should make a difference when your next energy bill comes around. To ensure the kids' safety, each also has a safety door. And though it doesn't specify its protection level, it does offer overvoltage, overcurrent. and short-circuiting protection. Screen savers do precisely nothing when it comes to saving power – they are simply just another program that needs energy to run. Instead, take the time to figure out how to set an automatic sleep mode for your computer – every 10 or 15 minutes works for most people. And learn how to put your computer into sleep mode manually, too. That way if you know you’ll be away from it for a while you can save power using an easy keyboard shortcut. Don’t charge your phone overnight They work like most any other smart plug to let you automate whatever's plugged in using timers, schedules, and scenes. Plus, handily for outdoors, you can have it turn on at sunset and off at sunrise (or vice versa). These outdoor plugs can also be added to HomeKit, Alexa and Google Home systems to sync up with other devices and for voice control. The cord length is a modest 1.8m, but this doesn’t really matter as once the lead is in situ, the remote control does all the hard work and its emitting radio frequency will pass through plenty of obstacles and has a reach of between 15-30 metres. Excellent price and a one-year guarantee. As for your charging needs, there are 12 AC outlets on hand, with enough space between each outlet to accommodate all your devices, as well as two USB Type-A ports and one USB-C with power delivers for fast charging - allowing you to fully-charge your iPhone in an hour. Just bear in mind that the USB and USB-C port do share output so if you're using all three at once, it will slow down all three to just 15W.Finally, some surge protectors are equipped with fail-to-safe conditions, also known as automatic shutdown technology and "fail to shutdown". When the surge protector experiences a surge and the arrestors reach their end of life, the device stops sending power to your devices, telling you in no uncertain terms that it's time to replace it.