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GE Energy Smart LED light bulbs: Pay to save?

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smart Home,

Here’s a look at GE’s LED light bulbs, which should be hitting stores sometime in the next year. What makes them special? Well, aside from the fins that you see in the image, these bulbs will last a good 17 years(!) when used for four hours per day, every day. They also distribute the light evenly, in all directions, rather than focused on one area. Most of all, they are super-efficient. The nine watt bulbs give off the same amount of light as a 40 watt incandescent bulb, so you are saving some serious power, and only replacing them two or three times in a lifetime. The downside? They’ll cost somewhere between $40-50 each. Yeah, that’s pricey for a light bulb, but did you think the future would be cheap?

McAfee Study Shows Spam Wastes Energy

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Internet,

Carbon Footprint McAfee commissioned spam expert Richi Jennings to study its environmental impact. The results were that the energy used in transmitting and deleting is equal to the electricity used in 2.4 million homes. Furthermore, the GHG emissions were equivalent to 3.1 million automobiles. Last year, McColo was taken offline and the spam volume dropped 70%, with the energy savings equal to taking 2.2 million cars off the road that day. Sign up at McAfee if you would like to download the entire report, although we suggest you don’t print it to save a tree.

Inlet-Outlet - Use Energy, Make Energy

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Smart Home,

Solar Power can be expensive for something as large as a house, but think about this energy saving concept. The Inlet-Outlet can turn an appliance or other device into an energy generating one. For example, take something like your dryer that already uses way too much energy with a panel behind it capturing the excess heat and turning it into electricity. An entire system could turn all those plugged in exercise vehicles at your local gum into a mini-power plant. Kudos to Carla Diana and Jeff Hoefs for the smart design.

KIT Eco Charger for Nokia Cell Phones

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smartphones, Misc. Tech,

Nokia cell phone owners, take a look at the KIT Eco Charger. The device is so clever that it turns itself off automatically when your phone is fully charged. A spokesperson from the Carphone Warehouse claims that if everyone used one there would be a savings of about 300,000,000 kWh of electricity per year in the UK. Imagine what it would be worldwide. We think that’s a good start for £23 (~$33.00) and that KIT should expand their line with chargers for other phones.

Google Tests PowerMeter Monitoring

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Google, Smart Home, Internet,

PowerMeter Graph Google has a new tool that they are testing. PowerMeter will show home energy usage in real time on your PC. You set the rate of your electricity charge, plug in your appliance and a monitor will calculate the cost. Forty million trackers are already in use and Google predicts that another 100 million will be bought in the next few years. Studies show that those who have access to home energy information can save up to 15% of their electricity bills. PowerMeter is not yet available but should be soon.

A Town Without TV

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: FOX, Editorial,

It all started Sunday morning. I woke up hearing these terrible noises outside - banging, howling, whistling and scraping. “What’s that!” I cried in alarm.

“Just the wind,” I was answered by the person who lives with me.

Well then, no big deal. Or so I thought.

The power went out while I was taking my wake-up shower. The lights had already flicked several times, so surely this was only a temporary inconvenience.

As my home started to grow hotter and hotter (no power means no air conditioning also), we had to find ways to entertain ourselves. The battery in my laptop lasted only two hours, and we found ourselves still in the heat with no entertainment relief.

The VCR (yes, I still have one) would not work. No video games could be played. It didn’t matter that we have one thousand channels, for none of them could be accessed. We played cards instead, then moved on to the board games.

Click to continue reading A Town Without TV

Topia HUVO Electric Vehicle

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Design, Transportation,

HUVO Smaller than the Smart Car, but probably more dangerous in high traffic areas, is Topia’s HUVO, a prototype single-seated electric vehicle. Weighing only about 330 lbs., the vehicle has a body frame of high-tensile steel plate, doors and back of aluminum alloy, a roof of CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic,) and a windshield of polycarbonate. The interior and wheel covers are made with ABS resin. We are thinking that you had better get lots of insurance with the HUVO, as running into a tree or a stiff wind would probably total the mini-car.

Revolve Power Strip

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Misc. Tech,

Revolve Power Strip Who says that power strips need to be flat, horizontal, or bulky? If your computer is backed into a corner and you never seem to have enough outlets, consider designer Takumi Yoshida’s answer, the Revolve. The electrical hub rotates 360º making it a lot simpler in cramped quarters. Still at the prototype stage, Takumi admits on his Coroflot page that he has seen devices similar to his, but we say there is plenty of room for the competition. Contact him if you are interested in his Revolve.

How this Glowing Electrical Socket Helps Save Energy

Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Accessories, Design, Smart Home, Misc. Tech,

Glowing Electrical Socket

It’s happened to all of us….you leave for work, and an hour later you’re paralyzed with fear, as you can’t remember if you left the iron plugged in or not. Not so with the Glowing Electrical Socket, which glows a lovely pink color when said outlet is drawing a current! It’s actually a very eco-friendly device, as you are reminded that some of your electronics may be plugged in unnecessarily – and therefore wasting energy. Plus it has an LED, which alerts you when the current is actually growing stronger. And if don’t want the socket to glow, there’s a button to turn that feature off. What’s not to love? Unfortunately, we could not find pricing info, so stay tuned….

Join Earth Hour To Save Energy

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Editorial, Google, Science, Videos,

If you want to make your mark on the planet tonight, join the global Earth Hour. Created by the World Wildlife Fund, sign up on the site before 8:00 p.m.your time. Then turn off that computer, light candles, and disconnect any unnecessary appliances. Tell a friend about it, too. Even Google is in on the action if you noticed its background today. Cities include New York, Atlanta, San Francisco, Phoenix, Pasadena, Charlotte, Chicago, Honolulu, San Clemente, Minneapolis, Portland, Montreal, Bogotá, and Montreal. For a complete listing of North American cities, check this Earth Hour site. Think of it as giving some extra energy for your kid’s generation.

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