Many of us are victims of phantom load. Phantom load is used to describe any appliance or electronic that constantly uses energy, even while it is turned off or on sleep mode. TVs, cell phone chargers, and gaming devices are the most common electronics that create phantom loads.

Installing a smart power strip in your home is a quick and easy way to start saving money while making your household a little more energy-efficient. Unlike traditional power strips, they have built-in features designed to reduce the amount of energy used by standby electronics that consume energy even when they’re not in use. As a result, they are becoming more prominent in protecting your devices and helping reduce energy usage.

There are three types of smart power strips to choose from:

1Timer-equipped: These power strips have outlets that are controlled by programmable timers. Devices plugged into them can be scheduled to automatically turn off or on at designated times of day or night.

2Occupancy sensing: Occupancy sensing power strips have outlets that are controlled by a motion detector. Devices plugged into them can automatically turn off or on in response to your physical presence or after a user-defined period of time elapses (i.e., anywhere from 30 seconds to 60 minutes).

3Current sensing: These power strips can automatically turn several outlets off or on when they detect that a monitor (plugged into the “master outlet”) either enters a low-powered sleep mode, is turned off, or is turned on. Used in combination with monitor power management features, these power strips can turn just about any electric device off and on automatically.

Be sure to do your research to see which of these is the best option for your home. Over time, you’ll notice little changes make a lot of difference.