Is Standby Saver Still in Business? (2026 Update)
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Look for Standby Saver on AmazonFull story →Peter Ensinger and David Baker pitched Standby Saver, a multi-socket extension that cuts power to peripherals once the main appliance switches off, wanting £100,000 in return for half the company, and drew a unanimous offer from the whole panel.
The company is no longer trading.
A Rare Unanimous Yes
Nearly every household leaves something quietly drawing power overnight, so the pair did not have to argue hard that a market existed, only that they were the team to capture it. Every investor on the panel wanted in, reportedly a first for the show.
That enthusiasm never turned into a signed deal. Reporting from the time links the collapse to the founders being unable to secure patent protection, which understandably spooked backers who had just committed real money on camera.
Copied Fast, Funded Never
Without a defensible design, the idea was simple enough for rival manufacturers to replicate once it had national television exposure behind it, and several did, with brands such as Ecotek bringing out comparable standby-saving plugs of their own.
Left without backing and without protected intellectual property, the original venture struggled to build lasting momentum and had folded by 2014.
The Lesson In This One
Five enthusiastic investors on camera is a rare and exciting moment, but it means nothing until lawyers and accountants sign off afterward, and intellectual property gaps are one of the more common things that derail hardware pitches specifically.
The underlying category survived even as this company did not, with other manufacturers still selling similar standby-cutting plugs today.