Green gadgets
The humble radiator quietly and anonymously sits against the walls of numerous homes throughout the UK. When we're cold it gives us heat. It requires little if any attention, it just sits there and provides us with efficient warmth when we need it - right?
Well, sort of. There is a secretive side to this familiar beast that can be quite wasteful and costs us money - the side I'm talking about faces the wall. But thanks to a simple innovation that sits on top of the radiator all this wasted heat can be drawn back into the room to get you feeling all toasty much quicker and allow you to turn down that power hungry thermostat, saving you money!
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Green gadgets
Festival season is just around the corner and the good old UK weather might not be the only thing that stops you having a good time. But if you're a green gadget lover like me, then taking your favourite tech with you to the next music festival might be a cause for some concern...
Gadgets need power and being a greenie you naturally need to make sure all your cool tools are powered up without harming the earth. Mobile phone giant Orange has recognised this need for eco-power and is offering the Power Pump as the charging solution of choice: created by energy experts Got Wind, the Power Pump will rely on some nifty legwork to ensure your mobile phone will always be charged and ready for action - whether it be for snaps, video, MP3s if there's no-one you want to see or even to contact your friends.
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Green gadgets
It's been a while since green gadgets have hit the headlines, but they're back with an eco-friendly bang as Sony Ericsson announce the launch to two new green phones, to be out later this year. They've gone back to basics with the handsets and have steered clear of solar panels and associated malarkey, and opted instead for recycled materials and environment friendly materials.
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Green gadgets
You like the idea of getting a green charger for your MP3 player or mobile phone and solar sounds good - but you live in the UK so bright sunshine is not something you can rely on. What to do? A company called Kinesis Industries is about to launch a product that may just have the answer!
Not only does the Kinesis K3 charger soak up the sun (when it's available) but it also features its very own wind turbine. It's a very portable 78 x 236 x 8mm and has LED indicators on the side to let you know just how much sun or wind has been turned into energy.
Related: The solar powered bikini: recharge as you tan | More solar-powered phones hit the market
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Green gadgets
Back in the autumn, we had a lot of fun testing out the latest in home energy-monitoring gadgets; discovering the ugly truth of how much electricity we consume. I was quite impressed by how easy it was to monitor the data on my PC, but now these devices have joined the social media generation and will actually tweet the information direct to your twitter account!
Tweet-a-Watt integrates with the Kill-a-Watt (one of the top-selling energy monitoring gadget's that's now available to buy in the UK here) to bring you your meter readings updates wirelessly, via twitter. You can see a live account of how it works here, and in all honesty, some of the reports are a damn sight more interesting than 90% of the 'tweets' I receive on a daily basis! [Via Adafruit]
Related: Green Challenges: Energy Monitoring Week day one | Get atmospheric C02 readings live on Twitter
Green gadgets
Electrolux are set to launch the world's most eco-friendly vacuum cleaner this April in the UK, due to retail at £159.99. Called the Electrolux Ultra Silencer Green, part of what makes this vacuum so green is the fact that it is partly made out of shredded cars.
The body is made with 55% recycled PP, which saves two litres of crude oil and 80 litres of water per vacuum. As well as being made out of recycled materials it is also 90% recyclable itself. Comparing this new model with a vacuum made out of virgin plastics, there is a 90% reduction in energy consumption during manufacturing.
Related: It's teeny being green (if you're a vacuum cleaner) | The green AA
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Green gadgets
'Solar' really seems to be the buzzword in green tech at the moment, so I was interested to see that batteries are the latest electrical essential to get their own panels. 'Suncat' batteries (so-called because you charge them by leaving them to bask in the sun, like a sleepy cat) are still in embrionic form at the moment, and not available in the shops. But the good news is you can make your own, following instructions on DIY boff Knut Karlsen's blog.
You'll need to be able to source some photo voltaic cells to make your Suncats, but a quick glance at the tutorial suggests that's the hardest part of the job. [Via Treehugger, Shiny Shiny]
Related: More solar-powered phones hit the market | Be your own battery in a solar powered dress
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