NOTICE: Large moosehead wall lights have finally been invented.
360 Modern is a real estate firm in the Pacific Northwest U.S. that specializes in modern homes. Beautiful stuff.
Handy way to skip all the intro crap on DVDs that is usually forced on you when you throw a disc in your player. Apparently the chapters on DVDs that you can't skip (FBI warnings, copyright stuff, etc.) are flagged, on the disc, as UOP, or User Operation Prohibited. This site lists some of the techniques you can try to skip the ennui.
This colour coordinated bookshelf looks cool, but you might have a hard time finding a particular title.
For chewie edge lovers or corner brownie fans - it's the Edge Brownie Pan. All edges, all the time. Via BoingBoing
Puzzle carpet.
This to That is a handy site that will tell you what adhesive to use when attempting to glue various objects together.
Super creative bathroom tiles.
Skinny house in Brazil.
Apparently there are many LED lightbulbs available already. Via TreeHugger
WiiRoomba. YouTube of a guy controlling his Roomba with a Wii remote.
Hardcore Lost fans have a party and repackage the snacks and beer as Dharma Initiative rations. Make your own with the PDFs that they've so generously shared.
Here's a nice set of home improvement videos with the energetic and snappy Eric Stromer.
Faucet Fountain turns your regular faucet into a drinking fountain.
Kids and the Home Office. Here's a list of tips for the parent that works from home.
Save the Internet.
Great Pac-Man bathroom tile work.
Crazy toaster from the future TODAY!
Here is a nice napkin folding howto site with clean pictures and straightforward instructions. I think the shirt's my favourite.
DIY T-Shirt Rack via Instructables.
360 Modern is a real estate firm in the Pacific Northwest U.S. that specializes in modern homes. Beautiful stuff.
Handy way to skip all the intro crap on DVDs that is usually forced on you when you throw a disc in your player. Apparently the chapters on DVDs that you can't skip (FBI warnings, copyright stuff, etc.) are flagged, on the disc, as UOP, or User Operation Prohibited. This site lists some of the techniques you can try to skip the ennui.
This colour coordinated bookshelf looks cool, but you might have a hard time finding a particular title.
For chewie edge lovers or corner brownie fans - it's the Edge Brownie Pan. All edges, all the time. Via BoingBoing
Puzzle carpet.
This to That is a handy site that will tell you what adhesive to use when attempting to glue various objects together.
Super creative bathroom tiles.
Skinny house in Brazil.
Apparently there are many LED lightbulbs available already. Via TreeHugger
WiiRoomba. YouTube of a guy controlling his Roomba with a Wii remote.
Hardcore Lost fans have a party and repackage the snacks and beer as Dharma Initiative rations. Make your own with the PDFs that they've so generously shared.
Here's a nice set of home improvement videos with the energetic and snappy Eric Stromer.
Faucet Fountain turns your regular faucet into a drinking fountain.
Kids and the Home Office. Here's a list of tips for the parent that works from home.
Save the Internet.
Great Pac-Man bathroom tile work.
Crazy toaster from the future TODAY!
Here is a nice napkin folding howto site with clean pictures and straightforward instructions. I think the shirt's my favourite.
DIY T-Shirt Rack via Instructables.
Another Update on the Vulcanus Microwave Hot Water Heater
A couple of years ago there was a Canadian company called Pulsar Advanced Technologies that announced that they were close to launching a Microwave based (instant) hot water heater, called the Vulcanus MK IV. There were a fair amount of stories on the net at the time, as it sounded like an interesting idea:Powered by electricity and unaffected by the volatile gas markets, the Vulcanus MK4 can heat water from 35 degrees Fahrenheit to 140 degrees Fahrenheit in seconds and can source multiple applications at once: showers, dishwasher, sink usages and more. The Vulcanus MK4 is the size of a stereo speaker with a sleek modern look, making it ideal for condos and apartments, while powerful enough to serve the needs of any size family.
Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper ran the original story about the Vulcanus in November of 2005.
Well, perhaps unsurprisingly, it's now looking like the product is vaporware. The company's original website, Pulsar-at.com is now just some sort of placeholder site with faux content. The web address the company eventually moved to is also just a spamsite: Pulstech.com.
It's unlikely anyone is too shocked, given the delays and comments like this one from February of last year, where the Pulsar people told an email inquirer that they weren't planning on releasing the product at any point in the year, and this was about 14 months after the Globe and Mail ran the Vulcanus launch story in 2005.
DIY Solar Charged Lawnmower
If you've got an old, broken, space-eating gas lawn mower, you may be interested in resurrecting it and converting it into an eco-friendly solar charged model, provided you don't mind having it look a little Frankenstein.This how-to walks you through the process of modifying a mower as well as creating the solar panel/charging station that provides the power. The mower does take a while to charge up (40 hours by the authors calculations, assuming a half-charged battery), but since most lawns don't require mowings of any greater frequency than that (or anywhere near that, one would hope), the solar solution seems like a perfect fit for the task.
The author provides a lot of detail, including a couple of schematics and a parts and costs table. The final price tag was $699, with the bulk of the cost going towards the motor ($312), solar panel ($120) and battery ($90).
Enviroscaping to Conserve Energy
Enviroscaping to Conserve Energy is an interesting guide on maximizing your home's energy efficiency by modifying various aspects of its immediate environment, or "Microclimate".
A microclimate is any small, local area within which the effects of weather are both relatively uniform and easily modified. Microclimate modification involves the best use of structural and landscape design elements to maximize or limit sunlight, shade and air movement. Structural modifications involve the design of the house and associated construction (walkways, fences, patios). Landscape modifications (enviroscaping) involve the use of plants to further increase or decrease the impact of sun and wind upon the local environment.
This site, which applies mostly to homes in hot weather climates such as Florida, offers a lot of interesting ways that a home owner can creatively reduce energy usage. Some of the suggestions apply to potential home builders, such as home orientation (a house is more energy efficient if it is oriented with the long axis running east-west), however the majority of the tips apply to existing residences.
There are many examples of "enviroscaping" strategies on the site, such as optimal tree placement for maximum shading, tree type (In winter, the sun is low in the southern sky. Southern exposures of a home in north and central Florida can receive free benefits of passive solar heating, provided that deciduous trees are used along the southern exposures. Deciduous trees shed their leaves in the fall, and are bare during the coldest months of the year.), fencing options (fences vary in amount of air circulation), shrub and vine placement along walls, increasing air conditioner efficiency and much more.
Link: Enviroscaping to Conserve Energy: a Guide to Microclimate Modification
A microclimate is any small, local area within which the effects of weather are both relatively uniform and easily modified. Microclimate modification involves the best use of structural and landscape design elements to maximize or limit sunlight, shade and air movement. Structural modifications involve the design of the house and associated construction (walkways, fences, patios). Landscape modifications (enviroscaping) involve the use of plants to further increase or decrease the impact of sun and wind upon the local environment.
This site, which applies mostly to homes in hot weather climates such as Florida, offers a lot of interesting ways that a home owner can creatively reduce energy usage. Some of the suggestions apply to potential home builders, such as home orientation (a house is more energy efficient if it is oriented with the long axis running east-west), however the majority of the tips apply to existing residences.
There are many examples of "enviroscaping" strategies on the site, such as optimal tree placement for maximum shading, tree type (In winter, the sun is low in the southern sky. Southern exposures of a home in north and central Florida can receive free benefits of passive solar heating, provided that deciduous trees are used along the southern exposures. Deciduous trees shed their leaves in the fall, and are bare during the coldest months of the year.), fencing options (fences vary in amount of air circulation), shrub and vine placement along walls, increasing air conditioner efficiency and much more.
Link: Enviroscaping to Conserve Energy: a Guide to Microclimate Modification
Update on the MagWind Levitated Vertical Wind Turbine
Wind energy expert Paul Gipe has posted his thoughts on the Mag-Wind Verticle Wind Turbine (previously).
Essentially, Paul deems this device everything but a dream:
Ok, let's take another approach. Mag-Wind says its wind turbine will produce 5 kW at a rated speed of 28 mph (12.5 m/s). To produce that much power at that wind speed it would need to be 281% efficient! Yee ha. That's some windmill. Modern wind turbines, at best, can deliver 40% of the energy in the wind at any specific wind speed. This turbine has a specific rotor loading of 3,360 W/m2 of rotor area. Let's compare that to the over rated AirX. The AirX is somewhat smaller so we won't compare actual production, just rotor loading. Remember, the AirX doesn't even deliver what is promised. The specific rotor load for the AirX is about 400 W/m2. The Mag-Wind claims to produce from its rotor almost ten times more power than the AirX which can't even meet its performance claims. Ouch. I've never seen such outlandish claims before-and I've seen a lot of them.
Link: Wind-Works.org
Via TreeHugger
Ok, let's take another approach. Mag-Wind says its wind turbine will produce 5 kW at a rated speed of 28 mph (12.5 m/s). To produce that much power at that wind speed it would need to be 281% efficient! Yee ha. That's some windmill. Modern wind turbines, at best, can deliver 40% of the energy in the wind at any specific wind speed. This turbine has a specific rotor loading of 3,360 W/m2 of rotor area. Let's compare that to the over rated AirX. The AirX is somewhat smaller so we won't compare actual production, just rotor loading. Remember, the AirX doesn't even deliver what is promised. The specific rotor load for the AirX is about 400 W/m2. The Mag-Wind claims to produce from its rotor almost ten times more power than the AirX which can't even meet its performance claims. Ouch. I've never seen such outlandish claims before-and I've seen a lot of them.
Link: Wind-Works.org
Via TreeHugger
Categories: magwind green electricity efficiency unique energy wind turbine
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Watts Up Electricity Consumption Tracker
Like the popular Kill-a-Watt, the Watts-Up electricity monitor sits between the device whose energy you would like to track and a wall outlet. Both devices present you with a handy display of power comsumption, but the Watts-Up Pro (not the standard) has a USB interface, which allows you to download the stored data onto your PC for further analysis. The data can also be exported to Word or Excel. Conveniently, the Watts-Up displays the cost, in dollars and cents, on the unit's LCD screen.
See also:
Watts-Up and Kill-a-Watt at Amazon.com
The Gadgeteer's review of the Kill-a-Watt
Keeping an Organized Kitchen
RealSimple.com shares some kitchen efficiency tips for daily use as well as for entertainers. Getting more organized and strategically locating frequently used items saves time during meal preparation and clean up. The article gives some ideas on how to do just that.
From the site:
Keep necessities within easy reach. You don't want to waste precious time during dinner prep looking for things. Make a place in the hot zone (around the stove and the sink) for the essentials: oil, vinegar, knives, cutting board. Move special-occasion cookware, like a fondue pot, out of cabinets in the zone so what's left can be neatly organized and easily spotted.
And also:
Make recycling efficient, too. Having a bin for bottles and cans right next to the one for regular trash, instead of out in the garage or in the mudroom, streamlines end-of-meal cleanup.
Link: RealSimple.com
From the site:
Keep necessities within easy reach. You don't want to waste precious time during dinner prep looking for things. Make a place in the hot zone (around the stove and the sink) for the essentials: oil, vinegar, knives, cutting board. Move special-occasion cookware, like a fondue pot, out of cabinets in the zone so what's left can be neatly organized and easily spotted.
And also:
Make recycling efficient, too. Having a bin for bottles and cans right next to the one for regular trash, instead of out in the garage or in the mudroom, streamlines end-of-meal cleanup.
Link: RealSimple.com
Renovations that Kill Home Value
CNN Money has an interesting article on renovations that can actually decrease your home's value in the eyes of potential buyers. Some renovations can improve your homes value and thus almost pay for themselves over time - kitchens, for example, tend to have a cost recovery rate of 90% or more. Some improvements have a lower ROI, like basement remodelling which has a cost recovery rate of about 75%. This article lists four home renovation/improvement ideas that may please an owner but scare off buyers.
Link: CNN Money: 4 renovations that kill a home's value
Previously: Best Bang for the Buck Home Remodelling Jobs, Best Return on Investment Home Improvement Tips
Link: CNN Money: 4 renovations that kill a home's value
Previously: Best Bang for the Buck Home Remodelling Jobs, Best Return on Investment Home Improvement Tips
Make Your Own Wind Generator
Instructables has a very thorough howto on building your own wind generator. According to the author, most of the materials can be found in junk piles or purchased at local hardware stores. The site lists parts and tools very well, but is, unfortunately, a little light on construction pictures. Nevertheless, this looks like a fun (and useful) project. The windmills can also be purchased from Vela Creations. Assembled or barebones parts-only kits are available here. From the site:
The Chispito Wind Generator is a 100W machine. It outputs 14volts at 280 rpm, so it starts putting power into your batteries in low wind speeds (7-10mph). It makes a perfect addition to an existing solar, or other alternative energy, home system. On its own, it will power lights, radio, and conservative use of appliances such as computer, satellite, blender, drill, etc.
It's interesting to see smaller companies attempting to build/improve wind power systems instead of waiting for some of the larger players in the industry to offer products at more affordable price points. Some of the offerings out there are more than a little pricey and would take many years to produce a postive ROI.
Via Digg
Categories: wind energy green efficiency howto diy electricity turbine
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Ten Easiest Ways to Green Your Home
MSN offers this handy list of home energy reducing techniques that will not only help make your home a little greener, but will also put some money back in your pocket in the process. Tips cover heating and air conditioning improvements, greener gardening, hardwood floor choices and a few more.
Wikibooks also has a very large page of energy saving tips that should be useful to most of us, including efficient heating and cooling ideas as well as lighting, water, household waste and electricity reducing suggestions.
Wikibooks also has a very large page of energy saving tips that should be useful to most of us, including efficient heating and cooling ideas as well as lighting, water, household waste and electricity reducing suggestions.
MagWind Magnetically Levitated Vertical Wind Turbine
Update: please see this post for an update on the claims of this product. -Sean
If you can't tell by the picture, this is, of course, a "Magnetically-Levitated Axial Flux Alternator with Programmable Variable Coil Resistance, Vertical Axis Wind Turbine". It's called the Mag-Wind MW1100 and, thanks to some interesting technical maneuvering, promises 1100 kWh/month in a 13 mph average wind. The unit will cost around 3.5 cents/kW or, put another way, ROI will be reached in 3 years for someone with an average monthly electric bill of $300 - which sounds very high; a 6+ year ROI might be more realistic for home use. Nevertheless, the inventors claim the unit is cheaper than solar or horizontal wind turbines while requiring much less space to operate. The site's page on roof effect describes how the device can produce as much electricity as it does with such a small footprint:
So, how is it possible to make as much electricity as we do with only a 4-foot sweep? We use the roof of a house or other building to extend our reach and increase the volume of air reaching the sails of our VAWT. This gives us the effect of a larger surface area without actually having a larger vane. The great thing is that every house or other building also has a roof. The roof moves the wind, and that wind has a lot of energy.
The two major factors that determine how much energy is available are the vertical rise of the roof and the pitch, or angle, of the roof. The more rise there is, the more wind will hit it and be moved upward towards the VAWT. This is good. However, the steeper the roof is, the more wind energy will be lost in pressure against the roof and wind moving around the roof and the building as a whole. This is not so good.
A roof with a 10-foot vertical rise and a 30% angle will provide nearly a 200% increase in the amount of wind energy that is available to be turned into electricity. Compared to the same turbine just sitting on a pole, the roof effect increases the power yielded by operation of the wind turbine dramatically.
So, although it might be cost prohibitive for some (most), it might be worth looking into if you live in a fairly windy area, as the faster the average windspeed, the quicker it will be to see significant returns on your investment.
Via Greengeek.ca
Categories: magwind green electricity efficiency unique energy wind turbine
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Consumer Reports Air Conditioner Power Calculator
How powerful an air conditioner do you need? Consumer Reports have created a comprehensive air conditioner power calculator that uses criteria such as geographic location, room size, wall frame type, ceiling height, window size/orientation and more to determine the most energy efficient air conditioner for your space. The calculator uses your actual kWh rate to produce a yearly operating cost estimate.
Via Fepy.com
Environmentally Friendly Bullfrog Power
Canadian electricity generator Bullfrog Power is an environmentally friendly electricity supplier that offsets a home's consumed electricity by generating an equal amount of green power from sources such as "EcoLogo-certified low-impact water and wind power" and pumping it back into the public electricity grid.
Customers will be required to pay a premium for this greening, of course; the company says that a typical household can expect to add about a dollar a day to their electricity bill.
A couple of questions and answers from their FAQ:
How is Bullfrog Power generated?
Bullfrog Power sources all of its electricity from power generation facilities that meet the federal government's Environmental Choice Program EcoLogoM standard for renewable, low-impact electricity. Our energy mix is a blend of clean wind and low-impact hydro power that is 100% renewable, emission-free, and has minimal impact on local habitats.
Will my power source be reliable? What if the wind isn't blowing?
All Bullfrog Power's electricity is sourced from EcoLogoM-certified water and wind generation facilities. The electricity produced by these sources is injected onto the Ontario grid, the common power pool that delivers power to homes and businesses throughout the province. When you sign up for Bullfrog Power, you continue to draw your electricity from the grid, meaning that your power supply is just as reliable as it always was. The difference is that you are now supporting renewable power with your electricity dollars, rather than coal, nuclear, oil and gas.
This sort of green energy offsetting is an interesting concept and it will be interesting to see what kind of public interest it generates over the coming years.
Cool Liquid Crystal Privacy Glass
Privacy glass is essentially a regular, transparent glass window system that can be made opaque at the touch of a button.
Switchlite.com explains how the glass works: The secret of the transformation between clear glass and translucent glass is found in the Liquid Crystal sheet. In their non-energized state, the Liquid Crystal molecules disperse light. When voltage is applied, however, these same molecules arrange themselves in a specific direction in a way that permits parallel light to pass through the glass.
How Stuff Works offers some more detail on the technology involved.
The "Smart Glass", as it's also called, promises to be a huge energy saver for homeowners over the coming years, as it won't be long before smart glass is coupled with home automation systems that turn the transparency on and off at optimal times throughout the year.
There are a few companies on the web that offer liquid crystal privacy glass, but finding a price on any of their sites seems to be impossible, which means that this flick-of-a-switch privacy glass, although very cool, is also likely to be ultra expensive.
Here's another privacy glass gallery from a company that understands the subtle power of lightning bolt bullet points.
Categories: privacy glass cool invention fun electricity lighting green efficiency
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First Affordable Zero Energy Home in the US
Ideal Homes of Norman, Oklahoma has produced a "Zero Energy Home" that sells for just under $200,000. ZEH have been produced before, but have tended to be much more expensive and thus out of reach of the average consumer.The home is connected to the power grid, but attempts to satisfy as much of it's own energy requirements through alternative, renewable methods as well as utilizing high efficiency construction techniques, resulting in net zero energy consumption for the year.
From the site:
"Zero energy homes get a black eye in my mind," says McKown, "Every time they do a demonstration site, they run out and they hire some brilliant architect and they go off and they build this one-off amazing house that sticks out of the neighborhood like a prairie chicken, and it costs a million dollars. Everybody looks at that and says, 'That's interesting. With enough money, you can do anything.' "We wanted to show that you can take any house out of a builder's product line," McKown continues, "and make it a zero energy house and it would look and feel and be just like a regular house, and it doesn't have to cost a million dollars. We could do it under $200,000."
The home made use of some interesting energy saving technology, such as:
- Tankless water heaters
- Ground source heat pumps
- South facing solar panels
- Low-e vinyl windows
- Fresh Air HVAC system
More Solar Powered Home Address Lights
We've seen solar powered address lights before, but it's always good to have more options on the market - and it doesn't hurt to have sleeker looking options such as these, either. The address numbers are available in two colours; natural aluminium and soon, black.
Internet Controllable Thermostat
Proliphix produces an internet connected programmable thermostat that uses your LAN as its power supply with the aid of an (additional) ethernet power adapter. The thermostat's configuration/monitoring webpage is accessible from within your home network as well as from the internet. The company also offers wall mountable and paintable sensors to increase whole-house temperature accuracy. From the site: Proliphix offers indoor temperature sensors, which can be mounted away from the thermostat so that temperature inside a home or small business can be averaged across multiple rooms to avoid hot or cold spots and wasted energy. With an optional Proliphix outdoor temperature sensor connected to a networked thermostat, the heating/cooling system can be controlled more precisely to efficiently and more comfortably overcome the indoor to outdoor temperature difference. The web browser configuration tool is simple to use and allows users to easily configure heating or cooling programs to maximize comfort and minimize energy use.
Smarthome sells the Proliphix NT20e, which is the same unit but with 2 additional remote temperature sensors, for use in monitoring different zones within your home or even the outdoor temperature.
Categories: heating thermostat internet energy efficiency hvac automation cool
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Possible Solar Technology Breakthrough out of South Africa
A team of South African scientists led by University of Johannesburg professor Vivian Alberts has invented a solar power technology that is not only more efficient than current solar power solutions, but can be produced for, they claim, a fraction of the cost. From the article:
The South African solar panels consist of a thin layer of a unique metal alloy that converts light into energy. The photo-responsive alloy can operate on virtually all flexible surfaces, which means it could in future find a host of other applications.
The new panels are 5 microns thick, allowing for a tremendous efficiency improvement over older solar panels that measure about 350 microns thick.
Science in Africa has a November 2004 article with some additional details:
Prof Vivian Alberts of the Department of Physics at the Rand Afrikaans University in South Africa and team have developed and patented a novel manufacturing technique that finally makes it possible to construct CIGS solar panels at a very low cost. The method is easily upscalable to industrial output levels, while remaining much cheaper to produce than conventional silicon solar panels.
Work done over the last two years indicates that panels can be produced in commercial volumes at a cost of about R 500 for a 50 Watt panel. This is much cheaper than existing solar panels available on the market. CIGS is a remarkably stable material and conversion efficiencies should be sustainable for 15-20 years in any given panel.
It will be interesting to see if this technology is able to gain traction and catch on, offering both humanitarian and eco-friendly benefits to the world. Also worth watching is the film-thin photovoltaic solar strips developed by Nobel laureate Alan Heeger's Konarka.
Sleep in your Dining Room with Inova TableBed
Save space and time by converting your dining room table into a full size bed! Sleep where you eat! Eat where you sleep! Anyone living in a cramped bachelor apartment might find this to be a nice space saver that, really, with its hardwood maple veneer with solid maple table edging doesn't look too shabby - and who cares if it doesn't cook your meal for you as well. From the site: More Info on the Vulcanus MK4 Microwave Hot Water Heater
Looks like the people from Pulsar Advanced Technologies, the inventors of the Vulcanus MK4 (now apparently the "Mark 4")microwave based hot water heater, have updated their website, adding some details on the unit:The Vulcanus Mark 4, is a state of the art microwave hot water delivery system for the 21st Century. It is a containment field otherwise known as a Faraday box, much like the ones used in your microwave oven at home. The unit size is 24x14x7.5 and weighs only 20lbs. It was designed to save on construction costs, as a boiler room is no longer necessary but was made esthetically appealing so that it could fit as a ?stand alone? fixture. Its compact size allows the Contractor, Plumber or Developer the versatility to place the unit as close or as distant to the water outlets as is desirable.
Also, some details from the gas to microwave comparison page:
It looks the company will be showcasing the Mark 4 at the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas in May, 2006.
Make Your Own Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter
If you like the Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter but don't want to spend the money, why not make your own poor man's version? From the site: There were of course the usual hanging planters that are really nothing more than a regular pot with strings tied to a ceiling hook. These really didn?t appeal to me due to previous experiences where the water of flowed down through the soil and filled the overflow basin at the bottom. Another option is hanging inverted planters which have been around for a very long time. Some in a much older design made from terra cotta in a traditional mexican style and a newer one made of plastic that had internal foam spacers for dirt/water containment. This naturally put my mind into make it myself mode.
With flora becoming so elevated lately, we may never get to try the nifty gardening chair, sadly.
Solar Powered Home Address Lights
Help friends, delivery people and vagrants find your home after dark with this solar powered address light. The unit lights up at dusk and automatically powers down at dawn. With three nights worth of light being supplied from just 4 hours worth of daylight, the unit seems very efficient.
Sink with Built in Cooking Basin
Kohler has released the "Pro CookCenter" sink, which includes a built in cooking basin for poaching, boiling or steaming. The unit features a convenient drain knob that allows the cooking basin to drain without having to be lifted and/or poured. Kudos to the Kohler people for having the DXF (CAD) files available on their site for anyone needing them.
via thecoolhunter.net
Save Energy with the SpinX Clothes Drying Centrifuge
Two minutes in the spindryer will save you thirty minutes in the clothes dryer!So says the website of Spin-X, the clothes drying centrifuge. You may have seen similar devices at your local public swimming pool, allowing swimmers to quickly dry their swim suits before placing them in their gym bags. The Spin-X attempts to bring that same centrifugal power into the home. The site has a list of reasons to use the Spin-X, including this one addressing the important energy usage question:
[The device] Will remove one quart of water from clothing using only 15 seconds worth of clothes dryer electricity.
At $450, the device would take a while to pay for itself, but the energy (and therefore cost) savings combined with quicker dry times and environmental benefits would appeal to many. Could this device not, theoretically, be constructed to harness human foot power instead of electricity, or perhaps a version that would allow you to use electricity or muscle power, at one's discretion?
Categories: green energy efficiency invention dryer environment laundry
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Receive Filters in the Mail and Forget about Forgetting with Clever Service
FiltersOnTime.com offers a service that promises to send you furnace filters in the mail throughout the year. The beauty of the system is that the filter's arrival is also a reminder to change the old filter currently in your furnace! Very clever. It looks as though the service is available to US destinations only, unfortunately. Send a note or leave a comment if you know of any similar services for people outside the US.
Intelligent Weather Aware Lawn Irrigation System
AWS Irrigation Management offers a high tech lawn irrigation system. Each day, the system monitors the amount of rain at your home and sends the data to a central computer. The computer cross references the data to the local weather report and then proceeds to create and analyse a virtual soil sample. This sample is used to determine the amount of watering your lawn requires. The system does another check in the morning to see if any adjustments are necessary and waters accordingly. From the site:
Our network uses solar powered radio repeaters and is completely wireless. We can contact sites by phone, internet or license-free UHF radio across a 40 km radius...
PowerPipe Drainwater Heat Recovery System
03-29-2006 UPDATE: Please note that there appears to be a patent infringement dispute between PowerPipe and GFX Technology. See first comment below for more.
-Sean
-Sean
The PowerPipe drain water heat recovery system is a unique product that uses the hot water flowing down the drain to preheat the cold water entering the hot water heater. From the site:
Power-PipeTM raises the temperature of incoming cold water by recycling free heat from waste water going down the drain. Approximately 80% to 90% of all hot water energy goes down the drain, allowing the Power-PipeTM to recycle as much as 60% of the wasted heat.
Update on the Vulcanus MK4 Microwave Water Heater
In the original post about the Vulcanus MK4 microwave based water heater, the Pulsar Advanced Technologies website found in the Globe and Mail article turned out to be a work in progress. It looks as though the Pulsar Advanced Technologies people have another website, found here. Website number two has some actual information on the Vulcanus MK4, including a FAQ and a tiny picture, seen here. Apparently PAT, as I call them, are developing two models: To begin with, we have two models whose function is to deliver two temperatures to several points of use. The first model has the capabilities to go from 35F-140F within seconds and supply multiple outlets concurrently. That is to say that this base model can service a bath/shower, and all other household faucets endlessly. The second model is equally fluid, but through a secondary thermostat control will deliver water at a higher temperature to service dishwashers and washing machines along with the various bathroom and kitchen amenities.
Stay tuned...
Categories: efficiency green electricity invention energy water heater vulcanus mk4 ondemand
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Whole House Cooling Fan
Mounted between your house and your attic, this 'Whole House Cooler' by Tamarack Technologies claims to be able to reduce the cost of home air conditioning by as much as 30%, all on the energy it takes to run two 60W light bulbs. From the site: Engineered to reduce indoor air temperature, the HV pushes the hot air out of the house through the attic and replaces it with cooler outside air. The HV utilizes twin, high-tech, super efficient fan motors to minimize noise and power consumption. Our systems have the industry's only automatic door assembly, providing an air-tight seal with an insulating value of R-22.
The unit operates by remote control to boot.
Space Saving Sofa Converts to Bunk Bed
If you're tight for space and find yourself in need of some extra beds for guests, this unique item from BonBon Trading might be just what you're looking for. The clever design allows the sofa to 'effortlessly' convert to a bunk bed. From the site: Doc XL a convertible sofa-bunk bed solution with rotating mechanism. Doc is a comfortable divan with slipcovers, which requires a simple gesture and no physical strain to become a practical bunk bed with a safe ladder that is both a support element and a protective barrier. To use the item only as a bed, it is sufficient to remove the back cushions. The item can be converted from bed to furniture piece without having to remove the sheets and blankets, thus offering the possibility to always dispose of a ready to use bed.
New Microwave Based Water Heater Announced
It's all about instant hot water these days. According to Canada's Globe and Mail, a company called Pulsar Advanced Technologies is about to announce a product that uses microwave technology to instantly heat hot water. According to the article, the Vulcanus MK4 "can heat water from 35 degrees Fahrenheit to 140 degrees Fahrenheit in seconds and can source multiple applications at once: showers, dishwasher, sink usages and more. The Vulcanus MK4 is the size of a stereo speaker with a sleek modern look, making it ideal for condos and apartments, while powerful enough to serve the needs of any size family." This is exciting news for anyone tired of being at the mercy of natural gas prices, not to mention those just looking to reduce their energy footprint.
Categories: efficiency green electricity invention energy water vulcanus mk4 heater ondemand instant
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Secrets of Organized Families
BabyCenter.com has a great, idea packed article on organizing your home through a concerted familial effort. The article has plenty of useful tips for anyone feeling that they are losing the clutter battle. Another solid resource for a variety of general purpose organizational ideas is Online Organizing's aggregation of organization tips from the pros.
Space Age LED Home Lighting Solutions
Vos Solutions has an unusual and impressive gallery of the VOS Pad, which is, according to the site "the first apartment in the world to be lit entirely using light emitting diodes (LEDs)." The site sells some of the LED products used in the VOS Pad so you too can create a space that combines one part trendy nightclub with one part holodeck. Some of the more subtly lit rooms look quite elegant, actually.
Telephone Controlled Thermostat
It sucks coming home to a cold house. Unfortunately, if you've programmed a timed temperature drop in your home in order to save energy, you may have experienced this upon coming home early or off schedule. Avoid such a predicament with a telephone controllable thermostat that allows you to call home and chat with your heating system, giving you time to work things out.
Talkingthermostats.com offers this device, of which you can hear a sample of here.
Categories: telephone thermostat energy efficiency gadgets hvac toys automation cool michaeldouglas
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KillaWatt Energy Consumption Meter
Get a grip on the amount of electricity that your myriad of electronic devices use with the Kill-A-Watt (heh) electricity meter. Plug in any piece of equipment and allow it to project the cost of running the device for up to a year. Until smart energy meters get a foothold in municipalities, devices like this will have to do.
Topsy Turvy Upside Down Tomato Planter
Featured as one of Time Magazine's Best Inventions of 2005, the hanging Topsy Turvy upside down tomato planter produces tomatoes that are bigger, better and easier to grow than with traditional methods. The planter's elevation has the added benefit of preventing certain bacteria and fungus, as well as keeping critters at bay.
Ecoplay Reroutes Shower Water for Toilet Use
The Ecoplay system collects grey water from the shower and redirects it for use in flushing the toilet.
Benefits of the system, according to Ecoplay::* Saves water consumption by one third
* Highly energy-saving
* User-friendly in every way
* Minor extra costs compared to standard toilet units
Ecoplay estimates that the unit will pay for itself in 6 years. Perhaps if this catches on, Ecoplay will be able to afford to have people other than their children* drawing diagrams of the unit.
*Update: Looks like they've updated their site with really nice diagrams now.
via City Hippy
How to Best Make Use of a Small Kitchen
If you're having trouble making do with a small kitchen, then perhaps these nice retro "Big Chill Fridges" should wait until after you've maximized your kitchen's usable space with this article from SignOnSanDiego.com. The article is full of tips for uncramping your kitchen, even if you're working with very little square footage and/or counter space.Regarding clutter: see Frugal Homemaker's "Taking Control of Your Clutter" for ideas.
If the kitchen re-org puts you in clean sweep mode, then the plethora of tips over at HowToCleanAnything.com should save some serious elbow grease.
Categories: efficiency kitchen cleaning organization gtd tips tricks fridge appliances
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Handy Dandy Gardening Chair
Originally intended for milking cows, this height-adjustable, light weight (4 lbs) back and joint saver looks like it would make weeding even the most overgrown garden a bit less crappy. The seat is made of 'sturdy co-polymer'. Sturdy is definitely the word you want to hear when sitting on something like this.via Treehugger
Winter Energy Saving Tips with DIY Audit
If you live in a northern climate, you probably know all too well about escalating energy costs. Here is a list of some of the things you can do to minimize energy waste this season, as well as avoiding utility bill shock. These are pretty straight forward and frequently espoused, but dammit if I can help just one person out there... Sorry. Have any winter energy saving tips of your own?
Stay warm.
Recent stuff from HouseHacker:
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