Belkin Conserve range gets new intelligent plugs, energy meter & charging station

Belkin has outed a new range of earth-friendly power products that it reckons will help people not only reduce their carbon emissions but – since a little self-interest is always good – cut their electricity bills too.  Slotting into Belkin's Conserve range, the four new products include the Conserve Insight, a plug-in energy meter that shows how much juice your appliance is guzzling, and the Conserve Valet, a home charging station for USB-powered devices like cellphones and PMPs, which automatically shuts down the supply when each is fully charged.

There's also the Conserve Smart AV, an "intelligent" multi-outlet power bar that recognizes when your TV is turned off and automatically does the same to whatever A/V equipment is plugged into its other five A/C ports (there are two more "dumb" ports for, say, DVRs you want to keep powered up).  Finally, the Conserve Socket is a simple plug that allows whatever's plugged into it to be turned on for half an hour, three hours or six hours.

More details on each product below.  All are available now, priced at $29.99 for the Conserve Insight and Smart AV, $39.99 for the Conserve Valet, and $9.99 for the Conserve Socket.

Conserve Insight (F7C005) – $29.99

  • Make better energy decisions: See how much different devices cost to use on a yearly or monthly basis
  • Know your environmental impact: Shows power-plant CO2 emissions produced to use your device on a yearly or monthly basis
  • Easy to read: 6 ft. cord allows you to read display at eye level or place on a table
  • Customizable: Use the preloaded U.S. average electricity rate or enter your own rate off your electric bill;you can also set the CO2 emissions rate for your specific region
  • Tracking feature: Tracks your actual device usage over time and projects the cost of operation
  • Conserve Smart AV (F7C007) – $29.99

  • Simple setup: Plug your TV into the green socket and your AV peripherals into one of the five controlled outlets
  • Saves energy automatically: The green socket detects the power state of your TV and automatically turns on/off DVD players, VCRs, game consoles, receivers, subwoofers, etc.
  • Works with cable/satellite boxes: 2 Always-On Outlets for devices that need constant power
  • Works with cable/satellite boxes: 2 Always-On Outlets for devices that need constant power
  • Protects sensitive electronics: 1080 joules of surge protection ensure electronics are safe from power spikes or surges
  • Saves space: Narrow footprint and wall-mounting holes make it easy to place behind furniture
  • Conserve Valet (F7C008) – $39.99

  • Charge up to 4 mobile devices at the same time
  • Frees up wall outlets: Replace up to 4 charging "bricks" with 1 clean power cord
  • Saves energy by automatically turning off after devices are fully charged
  • The product itself draws zero power when not in use-so you can keep your devices ready to go without wasting energy
  • Designated charging spot: Always know where your mobile devices are and that they are fully charged
  • Eliminates standby power: Doesn't power until you hit the start button
  • automatically turns off when you unplug all your devices
  • Reduces clutter: Innovative storage area to hide messy cords
  • Includes 2 cables: A USB to mini-USB cable and a USB to micro-USB cable are included
  • Conserve Socket (F7C009) – $9.99

  • Easy to set: Choose 30 minutes, 3 hours, or 6 hours with a simple switch
  • Safer home: Automatically shuts off space heaters, curling irons, etc.
  • Saves energy: Completely cuts power after timer expires
  • Multiple uses: Can be used with appliances and devices throughout the house
  • Press Release:

    Save Energy with Four New Belkin Conserve Products

    Energy readouts and controls help you make smarter usage decisions in the home

    Detect your device's energy waste in costs and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions with the Conserve Insight™ Energy Use Monitor

    (Playa Vista, CA) – June 15, 2010 – To help people reduce their carbon footprint and lower their electricity bills, Belkin today announced four additions to its Conserve line of energy-saving accessories. Elegantly designed and easy to use, the Conserve Insight, Conserve Socket™, Conserve Valet™, and Conserve Smart AV™ make it easy to save energy and minimize your environmental impact.

    With the size of the green marketplace estimated to reach $845 billion by 2015, energy management is emerging as an important new product category (Natural Marketing Institute). In a December 2009 survey conducted by Horizon Research and commissioned by Belkin, 81 percent of respondents indicated they would "make sure to reduce their household use of electricity that month if they noticed that their electricity bill was too high the previous month." These are two of many findings that highlight people's growing awareness of and desire to reduce energy consumption. Other important statistics include:

    The average cost of energy wasted from home electronic entertainment devices left on but not in use is $76 per year.*

    1.2 billion metric tons of CO2 is produced to generate electricity for one year of residential use in the U.S.†

    100 billion kilowatt hours of electricity are consumed in the U.S. for standby power.‡

    Recognizing this demand, Belkin's new Conserve products aim to empower people to make better decisions around their energy usage. With its easy-to-read display, the Conserve Insight energy-use monitor helps you monitor your energy use by showing how much devices really cost-in watts, dollars, and carbon dioxide. Plug a device, such as a TV or microwave, into Conserve Insight to see the true impact to your wallet and the environment.

    The Conserve Smart AV auto-off surge protector detects when your TV is turned on or off, and shuts down power to connected components-like video game consoles, DVD players, and home theater equipment-so that no energy is wasted when the TV is not turned on.

    The Conserve Valet smart charging station is a convenient place to charge all of your mobile devices, and it also helps save energy by shutting off automatically when the devices are fully charged. (A charger left plugged into the wall can still draw power-even when no device is attached.) The Conserve Valet charges up to four devices such as cell phones, music players, and handheld video games, and it also reduces cable clutter.

    The Conserve Socket power timer automatically shuts off power after a time interval you select. This helps save energy and makes a home safer by timing the power to devices such as curling irons, fans, and space heaters.

    These four products join the Conserve Switch™ and the Conserve Surge, which enable energy conservation by reducing standby power in homes and offices.