It’s been an issue since the first plug entered a socket: A device sips a slow trickle of power even when it’s not in use. While pretty minimal on a device-by-device level, this wasted energy, known as vampire power or idle load, is stark in the grand scheme: It’s responsible for at least 5% of household energy consumption, and as much as 1% of global carbon emissions. The issue’s grown to such highs due to the ever-increasing volume of electronics in our homes, particularly devices that hang out in standby mode listening for our commands and cues.
One way to cut off this leeching power is to plug a device into a smart power strip. Unlike standard strips controlled via a single master switch that flips off all outlets, these high IQ cousins connect to Wi-Fi and, through apps or smart home hubs, grant you control of individual outlets, can cut power to devices in standby mode, and allow you to monitor energy usage and set schedules for plugged-in electronics.
Smart strips are a simple solution to a near-invisible problem, and a modern step up from the standard power strip. We spent weeks assessing the performance and planet-friendliness of six popular models, evaluating ease of use, features, and build quality as well as the measures the companies behind them take on to minimize their environmental impact. The best smart power strip we tested is intelligent, easy to use, and comes from a company that thinks about its effect on the Earth.
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one5c’s pick: TP-Link HS300 Kasa Smart Power Strip
Solidly constructed, refreshingly simple to use, and packed with a suite of intelligent features, the TP-Link HS300 Kasa Smart Power Strip ($44; kasasmart.com) is the best smart power strip you can plug into a wall. It has six grounded sockets and three USB-A ports, protects devices well against power surges, and works without the need for an additional smart hub. It’s dead-simple to set schedules and monitor outlet-specific energy through the well-designed Kasa app. TP-Link is also a company that takes stewardship seriously; the firm has ambitious carbon neutrality goals, has made efficiency upgrades to its production line, and factors materials use into its design decisions.
Why it’s good
After two months of testing, the HS300 exceeded our expectations during every stage of our hands-on testing. Crucially, the HS300 was the easiest smart power strip to set up and operate. Most smart power strips require a smart home hub in order to work, but the HS300 pairs simply and quickly to the Kasa app. In a range of usage scenarios, the HS300 needed only a miniscule amount of standby power to flex its smarts, placing second in terms of energy efficiency to the Geeni Smart Plug Power Strip ($40; amazon.com).
Controlling the flow of power to each of its outlets is as simple as tapping your smartphone’s display. (If your phone’s not nearby or the Wi-Fi goes out, the HS300 has a dedicated power button beside each outlet.) The app lets you nerd out as much (or as little) as you’d like on each outlet’s power draw. Its dashboard provides clear data on how many watts each plug is drawing, as well as its total usage in kilowatt hours over a week or a month—which is essential for identifying any power hogs. The strip also has a clever Away Mode, which turns outlets on and off at random intervals to give the appearance of someone being home. Plus, if you want to integrate electronics plugged into your HS300 into your smart home setup, the strip is also compatible with Amazon Alexa- and Google Assistant-powered devices, so you can easily set up schedules.
Smarts aside, the HS300 is built to last. It’s constructed using thick, high-quality plastic that didn’t give an inch when we tried to bend or torque it. The grippy rubber pads on its bottom can’t easily peel off, and the base of its cord is seated securely in the housing, defending itself well against some strong yanks.
Nothing’s perfect. The HS300 is trustworthy and well made, but it does have some flaws. Its cord is only 3 feet, the shortest of the bunch; this was a decision TP-Link made for sustainability reasons (more on that in a second) but this does limit its versatility. Additionally, the HS300 doesn’t come equipped with a USB-C port, a modern standard that many personal electronics use to charge their batteries. Having one or more could free up a few grounded outlets for other uses.
Why it’s sustainable
TP-Link is a company that cares about its impact. It has a goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050, and interim goals of reducing emissions in its supply chain and production by 42% and across the entire life cycles of its products by 25% by 2030. So far, it has taken on several projects to dramatically decrease electricity usage, including replacing old, energy-sucking equipment like dryers and ovens on the production line with newer, more efficient models. TP-Link is a part of the Science Based Targets Initiative, a collaborative that helps businesses set and hit emissions targets, and the Responsible Minerals Initiative, among other memberships.
On the HS300 itself, TP-Link cut back on the amount of copper, soldering tin, and other raw materials that go into its power cords by reducing their length. It also reuses leftover plastic from injection molding, saving more than 1,400 metric tons of raw material per year.
Nothing’s perfect. Some of the other brands we tested—namely Eve Energy and GHome—had smart power strips with a few efficiency- and longevity-enhancing features that we would have liked to see in the HS300. The power strip lacks overvoltage and overcurrent protection, for instance. We also wish TP-Link had a take-back program for its products, so that it could reuse materials at the end of the power strip’s life, and that its packaging was recyclable and plastic-free.
Runners-up
Amazon Basics Smart Plug Power Strip ($39; amazon.com) earned our second-place spot overall, but it was buoyed much more by performance muscle than Earth-friendliness. It wasn’t nearly as power efficient as the HS300, and let’s be real, Amazon isn’t exactly winning any awards for its environmental stewardship. It does have a USB-C and a 5-foot power cord, but its connectivity (Alexa-only) is pretty basic.
That’s why we suggest looking at the Eve Energy Strip ($100; evehome.com) as an alternative. The strip was easier to set up than Amazon’s, and it’s a more sustainable product overall. The company takes measures to use better feedstock materials—such as swapping a plastic frame for an aluminum one—and cut unnecessary water usage. The strip itself has more advanced automation features. For example, you can set it up to turn off the lights after the last person in the home leaves. The trade-off? It only has three outlets and zero USB ports, which is quite limiting. It’s also the most expensive device we tested. However, its app is well designed and easy to use, and it’s one of only two power strips we tested that works with Apple’s HomeKit. Plus, it’s far and away the best-looking device on our bench.
What we tested
We tested six smart power strips that were all popular with reviewers and regular folks, easy to get, and compatible with at least one popular smart home control platform: Amazon Alexa, Google Home/Hey Google, Apple HomeKit, or Samsung SmartThings. After considering dozens of options we settled on the Amazon Basics Smart Plug Power Strip, Eve Energy Strip, Geeni Smart Plug Power Strip, GHome Smart Power Strip, Meross Smart Power Strip, and TP-Link HS300 Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip.
How we picked our winner
Our product recommendations are based on two parallel assessment tracks: one for performance and one for sustainability. These ratings combine to land on our final winner, which represents the ideal blend of a product that’s good for the Earth and for your life. Read more about our assessment process here.
How we scored performance
We assessed smart power strips by three measures. First, we looked at the basics: How many outlets and USB ports do they have? Are they well-made? Can their functions be controlled both manually as well as with a smartphone? How easy is it to get their smart features up and running? Second, we assessed whether—or how well—they functioned without a smart home hub. Finally, armed with a voltage meter, we evaluated the amount of power these strips sipped when they were plugged into an outlet without any electronics plugged into them, when they had electronics plugged into them and the outlets were on, and when they had electronics plugged into them but the outlets were “off” to see how much they lost to vampire energy.
How we scored sustainability
Our sustainability ratings take into account three factors: a product’s environmental impact at its production, what happens at its end-of-life, and the manufacturer’s environmental behavior. Production factors in where, how, and with what a product is made—as well as how it’s transported through the supply chain. Given that electronics all contain some degree of metals (some of them precious), we also looked at any efforts each company makes to reclaim those materials once a product’s life is over. The final factor accounts for actions the company takes outside the life of a product to minimize its footprint or benefit the environment—we award bonus points for transparency, as well. These scores are informed inferences based on available information, not full-blown life-cycle analyses.
FAQ: What’s the difference between a power strip and a smart power strip?
Think of smart power strips as an intelligent evolution of the power strips you grew up with. Standard models let you plug multiple electronics into a single wall socket, likely have some degree of surge protection, and feature a single switch that cuts off power to plugged in devices. Smart power strips allow you to connect multiple electronics into a single wall socket and grant you remote control over the individual outlets, usually via an app or voice assistant like Google Home. Through apps, smart power strips also allow you to monitor energy, cut power to outlets, and set schedules for plugged-in devices.
Seamus Bellamy is a writer and editor with 25 years of experience in service journalism, tech and travel writing. His work has appeared in such publications as The New York Times, BBC Worldwide, Wired, Fast Company, The Globe & Mail, Wirecutter, Men’s Journal and, Macworld.
Tyler Santora is a freelance science journalist, editor, and fact-checker. He’s written for publications such as Undark, Scientific American, Popular Science, and more.
one5c does not earn a commission on any product purchased through our reviews.