There are a number of clever devices that you can buy that can help you save electricity and money around the home:
- Intelligent Power Meters
- Standby busters
- Wind-up Devices
Intelligent Power Meters
There are now several intelligent power meters on the market that make it easier to understand how much power you are using at home, and how much it is costing you. By doing so they encourage you to switch off unnecessary appliances and lights, and so save money. Some claim to save you up to 20% of your electricity bills.
They are generally easy to install and work, requiring no wiring. You just clip a sensor near to your normal electricity meter. Some allow you to record your electricity consumption over time. The two models we recommend are the Wattson (voted number 8 in Stuff Magazine's Top 10 Gadgets 2007) and the Efergy Energy Saving Meter.
Standby busters
It's frightening how much electricity is wasted by devices on standby. Between 10 and 15 per cent of the electricity we use at home is wasted this way, around £40 per household. This adds up to millions of tonnes of unnecessary CO2 each year.
You can now buy devices that help by completely cutting off power to the devices plugged into it when they are not in use. You can do this with no effort by remote control. We recommend the Bye Bye Standby Energy Saving Kit for general devices like you TV and DVD. For you computer we recommend the Intellipanel, which allows you to automatically turn off all peripherals when you turn off your computer.
Wind-up devices
You can now buy a number of electronic devices, such as radios and torches, that don't need any batteries or charging from the mains. This means they are better for the environment, because they won't create any carbon emissions or polluting waste like batteries. Plus because you can wind them up, you know that you can always use them no matter where you are, and also rely on them in an emergency.
These won't save the planet on their own, but every little helps, and they can make fun and worthwhile gifts.
