{"id":16364,"date":"2014-04-07T15:31:53","date_gmt":"2014-04-07T21:31:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-367309-1145705.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=16364"},"modified":"2014-04-07T15:31:53","modified_gmt":"2014-04-07T21:31:53","slug":"green-tech-gadgets-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/green-tech-gadgets-home\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best of Green Tech: 7 Modern Gadgets for a Greener, Smarter Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"green<\/a><\/p>\n

You helped damage the planet. OK, so maybe you\u2019re not totally to blame. I mean, we\u2019ve all had a hand in polluting the planet. However, now\u2019s your chance to redeem yourself. And much like Ironman, you get to do it through the power of awesome technology. Here are seven new energy- and resource-saving gadgets<\/a> that will help you correct some of humanity’s biggest mistakes.<\/p>\n

1. Learning Thermostat.<\/strong> Thermostats are already pretty smart as far as things like that go. I mean, they can monitor and maintain the temperature of your house – what more do we need? Well, the people who designed the Learning Thermostat have stumbled upon something that we never knew we always wanted. It\u2019s basically a thermostat that performs a thermostat\u2019s job, but as it does so, it learns. Do you like it colder at night? Do you leave during the day? Does the sun hit the house at approximately 10:00 AM every morning in the winter, necessitating a decrease in furnace output? A learning thermostat figures these things out as it goes, and adjusts its programing accordingly. The end result is a smart device that conserves energy all while better serving your needs. Home automation companies like Vivint<\/a>, Nest<\/a>, and others have created a way to control the whole thing from anywhere in the world with your mobile smart device.<\/p>\n

2. Roadrunner II Showerhead.<\/strong> One thing we can all do to help save the environment is cut down on the time we spend in the shower. Of course, no one wants to do that, because the shower feels really good, so we need another solution. The Roadrunner II (its predecessor must have been caught by Wile E Coyote) is an Evolve brand showerhead that cuts back on wasted water while leaving the experience fully intact. The Roadrunner II saves about eight gallons of water for every five minutes of use, but you\u2019d never be able to tell\u2014until you get your utility bill.<\/p>\n

3. Extech High Temperature IR Thermometer 42540.<\/strong> Much of the energy used in the home goes into climate control. Maybe it\u2019s our lack of fur, but humans just never seem to want to be the same temperature as our surrounding environment. As such, it\u2019s important to make sure that all of our precious heated\/cooled air doesn\u2019t escape out into the harsh wilds through leaks in our windows, doors, or ventilation ducts. Just walk around the house holding the Extech High Temperature IR Thermometer and stare at the readout like a ghostbuster searching for a ghost, and you\u2019ll be able to locate the leaks in no time. Fix them up, and you\u2019ll be wasting 20% less energy in your home.<\/p>\n

4. Philips L Prize LED Light bulbs.<\/strong> Yes, light bulbs. They may not look like much, but these bulbs can do wonders for the environment. For one thing, they create less waste; you\u2019ll only have to replace them every decade or so. See, conventional bulbs can function for about 5,000 hours, and fluorescent bulbs last for about twice as long. These LEDs work for approximately 100,000 hours, and that\u2019s assuming that you run them nonstop (which you probably shouldn\u2019t do if you want to save energy). Additionally, LEDs are about 60% more efficient than conventional bulbs<\/a>, converting around 80% of the energy that they use into visible light (rather than heat). LED bulbs come standard with certain new home automation packages, or you can just go pick up a few at your local home improvement store.<\/p>\n

5. Power Conscience Energy Usage Meter.<\/strong> For most homeowners, the numbers on our electric bills don\u2019t really correspond to anything specific in our homes. We know that we\u2019re wasting energy. We know that we need to stop. We just don\u2019t know where to start. The Power Conscience Energy Usage Meter takes those numbers and turns them into something that we can see. Just take a quick look at it mounted on your wall. The more energy you\u2019re currently using, the brighter the LED lights on its surface shine. So, you\u2019ll know when it\u2019s time to unplug some appliances and turn off the television. Oh, and the device also displays the price you\u2019re paying for electricity, just as a bit of added incentive.<\/p>\n

6. iGo Green Power Smart Tower.<\/strong> Guess what? Your microwave is wasting power right now. So is your toaster, coffee maker, television, radio, and any other devices that are plugged in but not actually running at this very second. These appliances suck, and I mean that literally; they suck power out of your outlets and don\u2019t even use it. This is called \u201cphantom power drain,\u201d and it\u2019s the worst kind of wasted energy. However, you can put a stake through the heart of those vampire appliances (I don\u2019t mean that literally) by getting the iGo Green Power Smart Tower. The Power Tower is basically an advanced powerstrip that you can plug a number of devices into, and it will eliminate the phantom drain completely.<\/p>\n

7. Veos Kinetic Energy Harnessing Orb.<\/strong> It may sound like Kryptonian technology, but the fact is that the Veos Orb is made from 100% earth science. The idea is that clothing driers eat up a whole lot of energy. The orb is thus placed inside the dryer during a cycle, and all of the jostling and motion charges up its batteries through some advanced bit of engineering that I\u2019m not even going to attempt to figure out (in fact, let\u2019s just call it sorcery). Once the load is done, you simply dump that extra energy back into the power grid (again, don\u2019t ask me how), and use it for anything you want. Obviously this one isn\u2019t quite ready for the market yet, but who knows? In a few years we might all be harvesting energy from our driers and carrying magical energy orbs around with us to charge our smartphones. Yes, you ruined the planet, but with these devices and a few others like them, you\u2019ll be able to give enough back to make up for it.<\/p>\n

David Glenn is technology and green enthusiast with over 30 years of experience owning his own home-building business. Connect with him on Twitter @davidglenn97<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Image credit:<\/strong> Nest<\/a> via photopin<\/a> cc<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here are seven new energy- and resource-saving gadgets that will, like Ironman, help you correct some of humanity’s biggest mistakes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":16365,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,79,7],"tags":[156,6860,4661,5538,6861,6862,6863,6864,1837],"yoast_head":"\nGreen Tech for the Home: 7 Cutting-Edge Gadgets<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Want to save energy, water, or other resources? 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