Surge protectors can save your equipment and money

We use them all the time, but do we really know what we’re using with surge protectors, and can they be green?

Surge protectors are devices that are between your computer or other electronic equipment and an electrical outlet that and protects your equipment's power supply from electrical surges. A surge protector regulates the current to connected equipment by either blocking or shorting to ground any "unsafe" voltage.

Usually set up in a "strip" or a box, surge protectors have several power outlets to plug into. Better versions will also have at least one data outlet to protect a telephone, fax machine or modem because these are also in danger from a surge of electricity through a phone line.

The other function of a surge protector is even more important. They also should act as surge suppressors. A surge suppressor prevents the peak AC voltage from going above a certain level. In normal U.S. homes, the standard voltage is 120 volts. If the voltage rises above 120 volts, the surge suppressor tor helps to prevent that problem from destroying your computer.

There are four basic levels of surge protectors:

• Basic power strip: These are just extension cord units with five or six outlets and only provide basic protection.

• UL-rated power strip: Look for models that meet Underwriters Labortories criteria. Look for at least UL 1449, UL's minimum performance standard for surge suppressors. There are a lot of power strips listed by UL that have no surge protection components at all. They are listed only for their performance as extension cords.

• Surge station: These large surge protectors fit under your computer or on the floor. They offer superior voltage protection and advanced line conditioning. Most models also have an input for a phone line, and may have built-in circuit breakers.

• Uninterruptable Power Supply: This design converts AC power to DC power and stores it on a battery. The UPS then converts the battery's DC power back to AC power and runs it to the AC outlets for your equipment. If the power goes out, your eletronic equipment continues to run, off the stored battery power.

Green technology in surge protectors, some suggestions:

• Monster Green Power uses propriety technology to save energy and money. It has six devices, ranging from six outlets to 10 outlets, ranging from about $50 for the Monster Power MDP 500 Digital PowerCenter to the HDP 900G PowerCenter, for about $150. All these devices protect equipment from dangerous spikes and surges while an audible alarm lets you know your gear is protected. It keeps your electronic devices at their peak with a filtering system designed to remove electrical noise and interference. It saves money by connecting your HDTV or receiver to the control outlet and your other components into the other switched outlets. When you turn off your HDTV, receiver, scanners or PC, other devices will be automatically disconnected from power and switched back on again when the unit plugged into the control outlet is turned back on.


• If you want a surge protector that provides power in case of black out or brownout, then your best buy is Cyberpower Intelligent LCD 585VA 8-Outlet UPS. Estimated backup runtime: 2-47 minutes. It has a real-time display system for eight outlets -- four backup/surge and four surge only -- dataline protection. It also has a proprietry software system, called PowerPanel Plus, that automatically saves and closes open files, and shuts down a computer system in a orderly manner. It’ll cost between $60-$130, and can be found on Dell, TigerDirect, Staples and CompUSA web sites. It’s least expenseive at Staples.


• Another good buy is the APC Performance SurgeArrest 11 Outlet with Phone, Coax and Ethernet Protection. On the APC web site, there is a surge protector selector, where you can determine what might work best for your needs. I went through the selection process and came up with 12 recommendations. I choose the Performance SurgeArrest because it had re-settable circuit breaker, dataline protection, and overload indictor and, of course 11 outlets. Cost: $45. Also check out APC Power-Saving Home/Office SurgeArrest, 8 Outlets with Phone Protection. It’s priced at about $30.


• Then there’s the “Green Power” surge protectors from Stellar Labs. Check out 8 Outlet Smart Green Power Surge Protector. It has eight outlets, five "Green Power" outlets and three outlets that are always on. This device monitors power usage, and when consumption drops 70% from peak for three minutes, the five Green Power outlets automatically switch off, saving you money and reducing harmful carbon emissions. Stellar labs have about seven different devices, ranging in price from $20 to $40.


• Cyber Power surge protector systems provide the right mix of uninterruptible power supply technology, which also reduces energy consumption. They call it GreenPower UPS™, and they plan on leading the surge protection industry in green technology.

It is estimated that seven percent of the world's electricity usage is consumed by electronics in standby mode. So reduce that usage, by cutting off power to all the devices when they are not needed, or saving your equipment from being destroyed because of spikes and surges, and surge protectors can be green in at least a couple of ways.