Patent ID: 8450879

Claim:
A power control apparatus comprising: a transducer operable to detect a predefined parameter and generate an activation signal in response to said detection; a switching device comprising an electrical input for connecting to an electrical supply, an electrical output for connecting to one or more electrical appliances, a switch connected between said electrical input and said electrical output, and fault sensing means arranged to actuate the switch to disconnect the electrical input from the electrical output when a fault is detected in the electrical supply drawn from the switching device by said appliance(s) from said electrical output; and fault simulation means, remote from said transducer, arranged to simulate a fault in the supply drawn from said electrical output of said switching device in response to receiving said activation signal from said transducer, so as to actuate the switch to disconnect the electrical input from the electrical output; wherein said fault simulation means is arranged to simulate a fault in the supply drawn from said electrical output of said switching device, the fault occurring a predetermined time period after initially receiving said activation signal in the event that said activation signal is still being received.