Core77

We all know what "power leakage" is: You leave things plugged in, and even when they're off, they're sucking small amounts juice out of the wall. If you could turn disconnect all of those devices every time you're not home, like during the eight hours a day you spend at work, your electricity bill would be lower and the planet would be a little greener.

Here are some solutions, in order of convenience:

1. Before you leave, you hunt down and unplug everything.

2. Everything is plugged into power strips, and before you leave, you hunt down and switch them all off.

3. You use a system like Arizona State University student Travis Andren's proposed Power Dam system (photo above), his entry into the 2008 Create the Future design contest.

That last one is a simple concept--you've got a wireless master switch that kills all of the outlets in your house; come home and just flip it on. (Each outlet would also have some ports for "always-on" devices, for those of you who download massive bittorrents during the day.)

So--anyone have any ideas for Solution #4?

via gizmag