HOW MUCH DOES AN ENERGYKEEPER COST AND HOW QUICKLY CAN I EARN IT BACK?
The EnergyKeeper PC costs € 49,50 including VAT. How quickly you earn this back depends on how much equipment you have connected to it. With a PC, screen, modem, printer and speakers, you can have earned it back in a year or 2. The value of the protection against power surges must also be taken into consideration, and would cost around 30 euro.
CAN I ALSO USE A SOCKET BOARD WITH AN ON/OFF SWITCH?
The advantages of the EnergyKeeper PC above a socket board or master-slave:
Ease: no need to wait for Windows to be ready to switch off (takes at least one minute) but just walk away after clicking on start-turn off-turn off. The rest works automatically.
Aesthetics and ease: just the start button on the desk, everything else is out of sight. For a socket board and button you need to crawl under your desk every time, or keep this unattractive thing in plain sight.
Protection of grid feed: The EnergyKeeper switches on and off at the zero crossing of the sine of the grid voltage. This is how the power gradually comes into the mains (for the PC and other equipment) and how large electricity surges are prevented in the grid feed. This is for the long-term preservation of your mains supply. (Over the course of time the mains can be damaged by strong surges that occur with indiscriminate switching on and off, because that generally takes place right at the peak of the 230V cycle). This is why it is better not to remove the plug or to use a switch, but to turn on and off the electricity using the EnergyKeeper PC.
Quality power surge protection: Generally, a socket board does not have good protection against power surges. (It is claimed that they do, but most are rejected by the Consumers’ Association.) Protection against lightning strikes must at least be approved by the organisation KEMA (or similar approval body). In information usually provided in the case of protection against lightning is usually either insufficient or incomprehensible to the layman. In addition, many of these protection systems are not safe: they can explode and cause fire. KEMA therefore tests them for safety. Only with a KEMA (or similar) brand can you be sure of good protection. The protection provided by the EnergyKeeper is also extremely durable, it is tested to 150 shocks of 5000 Volts and survived this without measurable wear. Competitors almost never achieve this.
LAN Protection: Usually a socket board has no protection against power surges on LAN cables (see other questions about this below).
Protection against voltage defects in the grid: Furthermore, the EnergyKeeper PC permanently measures the voltage on the grid. If this becomes too long – too high, the Energy Keeper also switches off the power. Most multiple socket boards do not do this. The inhabitants of Raalte know full well how useful this is: in 2004 the Electricity Company put 360V on the grid for a few hours, which caused all appliances and devices that were plugged in to break down.
DOES THE ENERGYKEEPER ALSO SWITCH OFF THE PC, OR JUST THE PERIPHERAL EQUIPMENT?
The EnergyKeeper also switches off the PC completely. This makes an annual difference of about €20. This is why the EnergyKeeper has a start button.
MY PC DOES NOT START IMMEDIATELY WHEN I PRESS ON THE ENERGYKEEPER BUTTON.
This depends on the BIOS configuration. In many BIOSes (but not all) you can set it so that the PC must start up immediately when the electricity switches on. See your computer BIOS user instructions. (In principle: in the POWER menu Restart on AC power loss, Switch to ON) or e-mail us for more extensive instructions.
WHY SHOULD THE LAN/MODEM CABLES ALSO GO THROUGH THE ENEGERGYKEEPER PC?
If you protect only the electric mains against a power surge caused by lightning, for example, damage can still be caused through the LAN, ADSL or telephone cables. These must be protected at the same point at the electric mains.
HOW DO I SET UP THE ENERGYKEEPER?
The EK automatically sets itself once only in the PC’s stand-by mode. This takes place during initialisation, when the EnergyKeeper is used for the first time (see user instructions)
CAN I ALSO CONNECT THE ENERGYKEEPER TO AN UNEARTHED POWER OUTLET?
If you appliance is not connected using rim-earthing, then the lightning protection will only work between the two live wires of the power grid. The voltage between these two wires is cleverly restricted so that the appliances do not receive an overly high voltage spike through lightning. The voltage between these two wires and (rim-)earthing (the floor, the central hearing, the LAN connection, the antenna, and other appliances that are connected, etc.) is now not restricted. Because of this, many thousands of volts can be created between the appliances and (rim-) earthing, with the risk of damage to the appliance if there is contact anywhere between the (rim-)earth and that appliance. It is alright if you know for sure that the PC with all peripheral equipment (and the wireless LAN, for example) are connected to the same earthed multiple socket. The flex to this multiple socket with rim-earthed power outlets may then be plugged into an unearthed power outlet. When this is carried out properly, the protection will also be good. However, it is and always remains safer, and the lightning protection works better, if a good rim-earth is used.
BUT AREN’T LIGHTNING STRIKES RARE? IS SUCH PROTECTION NECESSARY?
Yes. You should consider it in a similar manner to fire insurance. Fire also (almost) never occurs, but (almost) everyone has taken out an insurance policy to cover it. Lightning strikes (see the weather online website for the link to an image of recent lightning discharges) occur everywhere in the Netherlands a few times a year. A strike in the neighbourhood creates a voltage spike on all conductors, such as electricity and network cables. Such a spike can destroy a PC, and all data on a hard drive is lost. This is prevented on the EnergyKeeper PC, which means it’s even better than insurance cover!
CAN I CONNECT MULTIPLE PCS TO THE ENERGYKEEPER PC?
No, this is not possible. The EnergyKeeper PC measures the electricity to the PC using one cable, and switches off all the power if the PC goes off.
DOES THE ENERGYKEEPER PC ALSO WORK WITH A LAPTOP OR APPLE MACINTOSH?
The EnergyKeeper PC does not work with Apple Imac, but it does with other Apple computers. The EnergyKeeper PC sometimes works with laptops, sometimes not. It’s a question of trying this out.
THE ENERGYKEEPER FUSE IS LOCATED IN AN AWKWARD PLACE.
If you use the EnergyKeeper PC properly, the fuse will never blow. If this does happen, contact EnergyKeeper and we will solve the problem with you.
MORE QUESTIONS?
Do you have any other question? Please send us an
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