Not all appliances should be plugged into a power strip—it can be a safety risk.

Smart plugs can help track energy use, but they also consume some power themselves. Knowing the standby draw helps you plan better.

You know the struggle: You go to plug something in, but the orientation's wrong. The prongs are different sizes, so you turn it the other way and try again. Still wrong. You finally get it, third time ...

Smart plugs and outlet timers can both run devices on a schedule, but one becomes much more useful once your needs get a little bigger at home.

If you've ever looked closely at an electrical plug, you've likely noticed that the ends of the prongs have little holes in them. While this is a leftover design element from early electrical systems, ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. close up of Type A plug prongs - Gabriel Lopez/Shutterstock If you've ever stared at the holes in an electrical plug and wondered ...

You find yourself in an airport or hotel room in another country, and you really need to charge your phone, camera or game system. But what is that strange-looking outlet? It has round holes! And ...