CREST ELECTRONICS

Press Release - Earth Smart Powerboard

Brisbane-based Crest Electronics is set to significantly reduce standby power usage across the nation when it launches Australia's first power board to save energy and offer superior surge protection to the market in mid-November this year.

Standby power now accounts for approximately 10% of household energy consumption due to the rising usage of home entertainment and computer systems. It is duly acknowledged that consumers will not switch products off at the wall nor are they aware of the levels of standby energy being consumed.

The aptly named Earth Smart power board is a multi-plug power board that completely turns off all connected standby power when the main device is switched is switched off, while simultaneously protecting all devices connected to the power board in the event of power surges and spikes.

Earth Smart has also been assessed by the Carbon Reduction Institute for certification as a Carbon Neutral product.

Crest Electronics Managing Director Greg Randle said the Earth Smart power board will revolutionise Australian homes with its energy saving capabilities and surge protection.

"The Earth Smart power board is perfect for those looking for an easy way to reduce their carbon footprint at home because it minimises the energy wasted on standby power consumed by devices normally left on," Mr Randle said.

"The Earth Smart power board can cut standby power from a typical 20-60 watts to as little as 0.4 watts, depending on the number and type of connected devices.

"Earth Smart is particularly unique to the market because it offers superior surge protection and an unlimited connected equipment warranty thereby protecting all valuable equipment connected to the power board from power surges and spikes."

Gavin Pereira of the Carbon Reduction Institute said the power board had been assessed by the Carbon Reduction Institute so that Crest could offset each board and ensure the product itself was completely Carbon Neutral.

"To ensure the Earth Smart is Carbon Neutral, the Institute will measure the emissions embodied in the product from 'Cradle to Retail' including those from the harvest of raw materials, manufacture of components, assembly of the final product and all freighting emissions involved in delivering it to the shop where it is purchased," Mr Pereira said.

"Once a conservative figure for this impact is reached, Crest Electronics will purchase the equivalent number of carbon credits needed to offset the emissions from the board.

"Crest Electronic's Earth Smart power board is a fantastic way to reduce standby energy, and to avoid the many thousands of tonnes of CO2 that are emitted annually in Australia by appliances that are not being used," he said.

The Earth Smart power board is available in two designs - one to power IT hardware in home offices and the other to power home entertainment systems.

The Earth Smart power board works on the premise of a 'master' outlet socket to plug in key AV components such as a DVD recorder in home entertainment systems, or desktop computer in home offices, as well as four or five 'slave' sockets.

The master outlet socket determines the 'on' and 'off' power levels of the Earth Smart power board and ensures the slave components switch on or off accordingly, preventing the slave components from drawing standby power until the master device is turned back on.

The home office power board allows for one master and four peripheral slaves and offers modem and phone line protection. The home entertainment system power board allows for one master and five peripheral slaves and offers antenna protection.

Earth Smart power boards will be sold nationally for $249.95 at The Good Guys, WOW Sight and Sound, Harvey Norman, Retravision and Bing Lee stores.

Crest Electronics has over 30 years' experience in the electronic accessories industry, and is a market leader in electronic sound and vision accessories, servicing over 3,500 shop fronts nationally.

For more information please contact:
Dean Wall - Marketing Director, Crest Electronics, 07 3817 6907