They break down proteins to generate energy, and do not produce much heat. They also produce some very smelly byproducts that can make a compost pile stink like rotten eggs or sour milk. These smells often attract scavengers. Compost that contains meat can attract mice, skunks, buzzards, and even bears.
The power conditioner provides protection against surges in power just as a surge protector does, but a power conditioner also maintains a continuous voltage fed to the computer during temporary voltage reductions, such as a brownout.
A transformer is a device in which two circuits are coupled by a magnetic field that is linked to both. There is no conductive connection between the circuits, which may be at arbitrary constant potentials. Only changes in one circuit affect the other.