A new kind of socket is being promoted in Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou in Jiangsu province. Zhangjiagang in Suzhou is distributing 10,000 sockets of this kind around the city.

The new energy-efficient socket has two modes, an energy-saving mode and an off-peak mode. The off-peak mode will cut off electricity during peak hours, including 10-10:45 am, 1-3 pm and 9-9:30 pm, to reduce the use of electricity at peak hours. The energy-saving mode will cut off electricity from 8:30 am to 7:30 pm to help residents save electricity costs.

The socket supports manual control of the electricity. It also has a clock that can automatically check the time.

More than 1,000 sockets have been given out via WeChat and community promotions by Zhangjiagang's electricity power company.