Posted April 30, 2009
Honestly, we like the idea of being ecoconscious—except when it costs a lot more money (e.g., overpriced organics and “natural” cleaning products). Which is why we appreciate the new Digital Life GreenPower MDP900 PowerCenter from Monster. Yeah, up front it’s pricier than a normal surge suppressor, but over time it’ll pay for itself because it neutralizes so-called “energy vampires”—computer peripherals (printers, scanners, etc.) and home-entertainment-system components (DVD players, AV receivers, etc.) that draw standby power even when you’ve switched them off. To get them to stop sipping juice 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, you need to unplug them individually—or just plug them into a Monster PowerCenter. If you’re using it with your computer setup, it’ll automatically sense when you power down your computer or put it to sleep, and will cut power to the peripherals. It works the same way with home-entertainment centers (it’ll sense when you’ve powered down your TV, then cut power to the other components). It’s also got something called Clean Power filtering to keep power-line “noise” from messing up your pricey electronics.

$129.99 at Best Buy.

• Buy it online.

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