Earth Notes: On the LIME Energy Saving Plug: Review (2011)
Updated 2023-09-26.Product: LIME energy saving plug
- Brand: LIME
- Colour: white
- MPN: ES1016
Review summary
- LIME energy saving plug
- Setting this up for our TV/DVD/etc already on one 4-way trailing socket took all of about five minutes and it has been completely reliable. Has some nice design features such as starting 'off' after a power cut (or when turning on at the wall after a few days away).
- Pros:
- simple and intuitive to use
- worked with our remote controls
- free
- Cons:
- annoying to get IR sensor somewhere useful
- failed after a decade
- Rating: 5/5
- Published:
- Updated:
On a "hot deals" Web site in December 2010 we found a description of this free energy-saving gadget and we signed up. It arrived early January 2011.
Before getting or deploying one of these energy-saving plugs, consider measuring what all your plug-in gadgets and appliances use with some kind of power meter.
There is not much point in using this gadget where either your appliance uses much less than one watt (1W) on standby or you already turn it off at the wall. (The plug instruction leaflet says: "standby power input < 0.5watts.")
A simple rule of thumb in 2011 in the UK was that for every unnecessary 1 watt of consumption left on for a year you would pay an extra £1 on your bill. For us, even if we turned our TV off, the rest of the DVD/cable/etc stuff would probably rack up £20 or so per year (and thus about 100kg of CO2). (More than the net emissions of each of us in this house circa 2010: ~60kgCO2.)
How Do You Use the LIME Plug?
The instructions were slightly confusing to me. But simply enough, after switching this on at the wall (or after a power cut), or after pressing the reset button on the front, all the appliances plugged into it will be off. Then the plug will be ready to learn the remote control command to operate it.
The plug has what looks like an alien eye on a wire to watch for your remote, Put this somewhere you can easily point your remote control at.
Then pick one of your infrared (IR) remote controls (ie tried those for our cable-TV box and our DVD player) and pick a button to switch the saver plug on and off with. Because we don't want our DVD and cable TV box out of standby at the same time it's best not to use the power button of either of them. Pick another unused button instead (most controls have lots). I picked the 'subtitles' button on the DVD remote control.
When the LIME plug is waiting to be reprogrammed (with its indicator light slowly flashing) point your control at it and press your selected button. The indicator will then flash quickly and go off.
You can then turn on the appliances/gadgets plugged into with with another press. After at least a 60-second wait, press once more to turn them off.
The 60-second delay before turning everything off probably helps avoid damage, and allows a graceful shutdown for any gadget whose 'off' command you use!
Is the LIME Plug Well Designed?
The plug starts up with the socket off when powered up. This may be when first plugged in, or after a power cut, or when turning back on at the wall when returning after a few days away. (We turn off at the wall when away to save some extra pennies and for safety.)
I had wondered if this was a good design. Would this make it hard to get at to reprogram after such a cut or return?
But because the plug comes on immediately waiting to be reprogrammed, there's usually only one extra button push to turn everything on.
(This behaviour is also kind to the grid and appliances, not coming on after a cut until manual intervention and power is likely stable.)
I had a little more difficulty setting the LIME plug up with one of the controls than the other, but that might simply be operator error!
Setting this up for our TV/DVD/etc already on one 4-way trailing socket took all of about five minutes (having previously practised with the controls). The sensor 'eye' was temporarily lashed up (not using the sticky pad). It proved to be out of the way of the youngest pair of hands in the house. The sensor still works tucked away beside the TV, not in immediate sight.
Has the LIME Plug been Reliable?
It seemed reliable after just a few days' use, even when our young daughter turned everything off at the wall in confusion, and it only needed in effect the one extra push of the button to reprogram as suggested above.
After a month or so we felt that it worked completely dependably. It is good in situations such as ours where the wall switch is not easily accessible. A simple well-designed product, bravo!
Update 2020-05-25: still going strong after more than nine years!
Update 2022-05-21: the LIME plug seemed to be stuck 'on'. So I tapped it lightly a few times in case the relay contacts had spot-welded. That seemed to allow it to go properly 'off' again.
Update 2022-05-23: it may really be dead. Free and more than 10 years' service was a good deal!
Update 2022-07-29: removed now; we'll have to get used to using the wall switch, though that will save us another 0.1W!
Was the LIME Plug Recalled?
Yes, one batch was recalled.
PRODUCT RECALL NOTICE - LIME energy saving plug (Model ES1017)
We have found a potential safety problem with a batch of the LIME Energy Saving Plugs, Model Number ES1017, which can be identified via the label on the back of the plug.
The problem was identified following feedback from a very small number of customers who had experienced some problems with the individual pins of the plug that either fell out or remained in the socket when unplugged.
The batch of affected plugs relate to the 'FLUSH' campaign that ran from mid November to 6th December. You will not have received a letter from us if your plug was ordered through a different promotion because this plug was supplied from a different batch and is not being recalled.
If you have a plug from the above batch, then we recommend that you stop using the plug immediately and turn off the wall socket power switch before removing it.
All customers who registered to receive one of the plugs via the above promotion recently received a letter from us and will shortly be receiving a replacement plug of a different model. If you had a plug passed onto you by someone else, then we have advised the registered recipient of the plug to pass on the recall notice.
If you require further clarification, please contact our customer service team on 0844 879 5160, or email us on limeplugrecall@grg.com
(Our plug was from a different batch and has given many years' service without trouble.)