So we are setting up our desk in the office and I have a ton of things that need to be plugged in.  Many of them pull a phantom load (use power even when turned off) so I need some convenient way of totally disconnecting them from the power outlet when not in use.

Advantages?

Sure, I could climb under the desk each time and unplug items, but I want something more user friendly as this will be something that is done multiple time per day.  My initial thought was a simple power strip with an on/off switch, so I went down to Home Depot. While browsing their selection of power strips I happened upon what appeared to be an ingenious device--the Belkin Conserve Switch, a surge protector with a wireless remote on/off switch designed to conserve power by making it easy to disconnect devices with a phantom load.

Perfect, I thought!  I'll plug all the computer equipment, hard drives, speakers, etc into the power strip which will be buried under the desk.  All I have to do is mount the wireless switch in a convenient location and I'm good to go.  Well, it was a good idea while it lasted.

And the Disadvantages...

The problem came when I hooked it up, turned the remote switch off and checked the inverter...which wouldn't go into "search" mode.  When no loads are detected, inverters will go into a hibernation mode called "search" where they use much less power and are continually searching for someone to turn a switch on so it can power up again.  So the inverter wasn't going to sleep.  I knew something must still be using power.

It didn't take long to discover that it was the power strip!  I plugged it into a Kill-A-Watt meter and sure enough, it uses power even when off.  After I unplugged the unit from the wall, our inverter went into search mode.

So while this device is a good idea and may be of slight benefit to folks who are on the grid, it is of virtually no benefit to off grid homesteads.