By Claire Reilly

SYDNEY, NSW: Small appliance manufacturer Kambrook, distributed in Australia by Breville, has announced the release of a new product targeted at environmentally-conscious consumers keen to reduce their power use.

The Kambrook SmartSwitch is an adaptor that plugs directly into any Australian powerpoint and controls the electricity used by PC and Audiovisual equipment to minimise power bills.

Kambrook marketing manager Adam Tacey said the company was “very excited about bringing more choice to consumers to reduce their power bills and minimise their environmental impact.

“The Australian home electronic entertainment market has grown significantly over the last decade increasing consumers’ electricity consumption needs overall,” said Tacey. “According to the 2008 report ‘Energy use in the Australian residential sector 1986-2020’, one in four households now buys a new television each year.

“By using power more wisely, consumers can save money, reduce electricity supply demands and lower their carbon footprint. Kambrook SmartSwitch saves money and electricity without disrupting consumers’ lifestyles.”

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The Australian-designed SmartSwitch is available in two models for PC and AV use.

The PC SmartSwitch features a top socket for a computer hard drive and a lower socket that can be used to plug in PC peripherals such as a monitor, speakers or a desk lamp. The SmartSwitch automatically detects when the top socket (the hard drive) is not in use and switches off the lower socket accordingly.

The AV SmartSwitch features an “always on” and a “power saving” socket. Users can plug a device such as a personal video recorder or Foxtel IQ into the always on socket (ensuring pre-programmed television is still recorded), while other devices such as the DVD player, television or amplifier can be used in power saving mode.

The AV model uses an infrared sensor to detect remote control use, and switches off any devices in the power saving socket if the remote is not used for an hour (flashing a warning light beforehand to warn the user).

The Kambrook SmartSwitch is “one of its kind in the Australian market” and will be supported by a national public relations launch campaign and in-store promotions. The two models of the device will be available for RRP $99.95 each.

The AV SmartSwitch.