New smart power boards can reduce Australian power bills

Aside from installing solar, cutting our energy usage is the best way to keep our power bill under control.

And as summer approaches, energy experts are urging us to keep an eye on appliances in standby mode – and it is easier than ever to switch them off and save.  

"The average household has 81 watts on permanent load or standby power," Anne Armansin from Origin Energy told 9NEWS.

"Anything that has a remote control unit just waiting for it to be pointed and switched will use standby power."

And it's costing Australians hundreds of dollars a year.

Turning appliances off at the wall is the simple solution, but like many, Brisbane resident Deon Spann has switches that are hard to access.

"Especially with having a plasma screen and other AV equipment, it's usually just left on standby," Mr Spann said. 

But there is a solution; plugging appliances into new power boards that can be switched off remotely. 

One of the simplest, the master/slave board, sells for around $25 – while more sophisticated boards for computers that have individual switches retail for around $70. 

Some can even be turned on and off using an app on your smartphone.

But while turning off standby power is a great way to save money - a word of caution, many remote devices draw power themselves.

As a rule of thumb, go for those that use around one watt of power – it can be worth your while.

"All the little things add up to a big amount at the end of the day on the bill," Mr Spann said.