Upgrade to a greener wash with Whirlpool Aquasteam
Washing clothes is a fairly energy-intensive and water-intensive process, but there are ways of making your wash greener. One of the most important is to select the right machine. Many modern washing machines come with a range of eco-friendly options aimed at lowering the eco-impact of your laundry. Take for example the Whirlpool Aquasteam.
This Whirlpool Aquasteam washing machine comes with an energy rating of A+, showing that it has exceeded the highest assigned energy rating standards (the scale, aimed at helping consumers choose more energy efficient products, runs from A down to G). It also offers a selection of eco-friendly options.
One of these is a variable temperature setting – so you can wash clothes on cooler settings, which not only saves energy but – as many garments are now designed to be washed at 30 degrees or lower – can also extend the life of clothes, thereby cutting waste even further.
The Whirlpool Aquasteam also has a half-load function, allowing you to wash with less water, again saving energy and reducing water usage. A quick wash setting similarly allows you to save the amount of energy you use. Over time, these can add up to significant savings – both of energy and money!
Even better, many retailers offer a recycling service, where for a small charge they will remove your old appliance for recycling when they deliver your new machine. This allows you to upgrade to a better, more eco-efficient model, without worrying that in doing so you are simply creating more waste for landfill.
First published 4 October 2009. Please note that blog posts remain live, and any offers or information may no longer be current when you view this page.
Enjoy mobile energy with the POWERPlus Gazelle
Many of us will have been at the gym and wondered why they can’t just use the energy from all of those exercise machines to power up the electricity for the building. It seems like an obvious solution, but unfortunately it’s not one that has been implemented yet. Well, on a smaller scale, the POWERPlus Gazelle makes that a reality. A pedal powered generator with an AC/DC Powerbank, the POWERPlus Gazelle allows you to have power anytime, anywhere – simply by generating it yourself. The multifunctional Powerbank contains a 12V internal battery and can be used for charging a whole range of items. Should you run out of pedal power, you can also charge it via a car battery or the included mains adapter. It offers a range of DC outputs, a USB output and can be used to power TVs, laptops, even lighting and refrigerators – it can also be used for mobile devices. While obviously not a solution to all your power needs, it is a useful way both to slash energy bills – and gym fees! The Powerbank also comes with an integrated LED light. Fully charged, the Gazelle will power a laptop for an hour. Even better, you’re not only saving energy usage, and energy bills, you’re getting fit at the same time. So why not get on your bike – and save energy at the same time?
The Emergence of the Electric Van
According to current statistics, there are approximately 3,000,000 diesel vans on British roads and some 500,000 lorries. Given that the average articulated lorry, when fully laden, will offer just 8 miles to the gallon, it is hardly a surprise that lorry drivers tend to protest when fuel costs rise. It is also clear that the greatest impact of these three and a half million fuel guzzling vehicles is borne by the environment. However, whilst traditional diesel or petrol vans and lorries will continue to clock up billions of miles on British roads each year, there are more eco-friendly alternatives available.
Indeed, the Modec van was launched in 2007 having been in development for several years. Although sales are only just beginning to represent the strengths of the Modec van, the vehicle’s eco-friendly vital statistics are undeniably attractive. Whereas an average diesel van will cost around £100 to fill up, the electric Modec van costs just £5 for a full charge. Moreover, it offers none of the noise and air pollution associated with conventional vans. In fact, the Modec Van is a Zero Emission Vehicle (Zev).
In terms of range, which is one of the main reasons why many delivery companies have not switched over to commercial electric vans, the Modec van offers a respectable 100 miles on a six hour charge. Nevertheless, the real strive towards greener commercial vehicles comes in the form of Renault and Nissan’s ‘Project Better Place’, which aims to introduce an electric car battery station network by 2011. The effect of deploying such a network would be to provide a virtually infinite trade of spent batteries for fully charged replacements, which could keep heavy load vehicles on the go for thousands of miles or more.
Wind-up Eco Media Revolution Player
A wind-up media player might sound like a joke, but in fact it is a cutting edge eco-solution. The Eco Media Player Revolution combines the latest in media technology with the energy efficiency and power-on-the-go freedom of wind-up power. The Eco Media Player Revolution is powered by winding the integrated handle and offers 24-bit Hi Fidelity playback of all the major music formats including Apple AAC, Microsoft WMA, mp3, and OGG Vorbis. You can also watch video clips and movies, as the device supports formats such as MP4 and Windows WMV and it includes a stereo FM radio and built-in photo album and e-book reader. You can even use it to recharge your phone if you’re stuck without a charger – use the attached connectors and the Revolution’s hand-crank.
The Eco Media Player Revolution is the latest green solution from Trevor Baylis Brands. Trevor Baylis OBE is a former stuntman who, moved by the plight of AIDS victims in Africa, recognised that radio broadcasts could be a useful tool in promoting health education and halting the spread of the disease. Unfortunately, the need for batteries or electricity – everyday items we in the West take for granted – made radios too expensive for many people. Trevor’s solution was to develop a prototype wind-up radio. Initially met with universal rejection, the idea was brought to wider recognition via a showcase on the BBC programme Tomorrow’s World in 1994. The following year, BabyGen Power Industries was set up in South Africa, employing disabled workers to manufacture the groundbreaking Freeplay wind-up radio. In 1997, with the realisation that a wind-up radio could also be successfully sold to Western consumers increasingly looking for energy efficient products, a smaller and lighter model was developed. It was later updated to include a solar panel, making it an even more eco-friendly option.
Get your hands on a Sky HD Box, for only £49!
Did you know, Sky are a carbon neutral company? And with this Sky deal you can enjoy Sky TV programmes in high definition for a low price – with the Sky HD Box at only £49.
Yes, Sky are currently offering their innovative Sky HD Box for an amazing £49! To benefit from this sky HD deal just sign up online for the Sky HD package. The Sky HD package is made up of the Sky HD Box and the Sky HD monthly pack subscription (with the Sky HD monthly, £9.75 a month, pack you can receive HD channels via your Sky HD Box). You can then receive those HD channels which are included in the entertainment packs and Sky premium channels (Sky Sports and Sky Movies) that you have subscribed to – via your Sky HD Box.
You will also receive FREE standard set up, and a £50 Tesco gift card if you sign up to Sky HD and the month HD pack online (the Tesco gift card offer ends on 30/09/09).
Sky HD Box features
The Sky HD Box has lots of amazing features:
- Record, pause and rewind live TV
- Receive HD channels (the ones you receive depend on the entertainment and premium packs you have subscribed to from Sky)
- Remote record via your mobile phone or the Sky website
- Series Link – record some whole series at the touch of a button
- Record up to 30 hours of HD (high definition) programming, or up to 80 hours of standard programming
Get your £49 Sky HD Box now – and don’t miss out on this amazing Sky HD deal!
The Sky HD Box only £49 – so sign up online to Sky HD now. And just think of all the petrol you’re saving by staying in to watch Sky TV in HD, rather than going out…
The Aladdin Auto-Bleeding Radiator Vent
Many eco-friendly products are designed to improve existing technologies that are not in themselves all that good for the environment. This is where environmental awareness meets everyday practicality, as it would be uneconomical to replace everything that is not environmentally inefficient with eco-friendly alternatives or substitutes. Of course, in an ideal world there would be virtually no carbon emissions brought about by human activity, but it is fair to say that mankind is neither at this stage nor anywhere close to it. Thus, making improvements on existing technology is sometimes the best cure, at least for the time being.
The Aladdin Auto-Bleeding Radiator Vent is one such eco-friendly product that serves to reduce environmental inefficiency. The device itself is nothing special to look at and, contrary to its name, this is no genie in a lamp. Nevertheless, a genie-like effect could be produced by using the Aladdin vent, as it aims to solve the frequently occurring problem of trapped air in radiators. Indeed, radiator cold zones are common in domestic central heating systems and they can reduce the efficiency of radiators by as much as 60%. Obviously, if radiators are performing inadequately then people tend to turn up the thermostat before they considering manually bleeding each radiator, which can be an awkward task. Fixing onto the side of radiators and costing a little over £10 per unit in most retail outlets, the Aladdin Auto-Bleeding Vent is designed to automatically regulate the air pressure in radiators. In fact, the Aladdin vent will continually bleed the radiator whenever cold zones emerge, so equipped radiators ought to run at their optimal efficiency for longer.
Innovative SolarVoice 908 solar charged Bluetooth handsfree headset
SolarVoice 908 is a new solar-charged Bluetooth handsfree headset created by i.Tech Dynamic offering a wireless and eco-friendly solution to a number of everyday problems. Whether you happen to be in your car on the way to work (assuming, of course, that cycling is simply not an option!) or making your way through a crowded high street, holding a mobile phone to your ear is not always convenient or sensible. You may want to listen to some music whilst on a bus or train but your headphones might be uncomfortable or the wires might get in your way. The SolarVoice 908 is useful in these respects because it supports Bluetooth A2DP, which means the device can wirelessly connect to your mobile phone or mp3 players (or some other Bluetooth enabled device requiring a headset). Also featuring noise-cancelling technology, the SolarVoice 908 makes an excellent headset device providing clearly audible communications in difficult and noisy environments. Because the SolarVoice 908 features solar-charging, it is eco-friendly in the sense that it can be powered up by the freely available energy from the sun – there is no need for toxic batteries or an electricity mains connection to make this gadget work, although both mains and USB connections are included as an alternative. Furthermore, the included base or cradle unit comprises optimal positioning for increased sunlight exposure, with a maximum charge time of around 15 hours. Whilst the headset itself boasts talk time of around 5 hours, this is considered to be sufficient for typical everyday use. The SolarVoice 908 is currently only on sale in the US. However, while you may have to wait to get your hands on one of these, there are a number of eco-friendly ways to recharge your current portable electronic devices so that you can start being more eco-friendly – and save money – today. Solar powered chargers that are suitable for mobile phones, iPods and similar equipment are available in the UK – for example the Power Traveller Explorer Power Charger, which retails at under £50.
The Multi-Purpose USB Solar Charger
Numerous devices that use the sun’s free renewable energy as their source of power are available on the market. In fact, solar powered gadgets are becoming increasingly popular as the technology has made vast improvements to the efficiency of solar cells. Furthermore, solar powered devices can often be used for months without exposure to direct sunlight because, when the sun does shine on the cells, the energy is harnessed and stored in its battery. However, many conventional electronic goods continue to use standard non-recyclable battery packs, so there is still some way to go if the situation is to improve. Nevertheless, the introduction of the ZYRUS Compact USB Solar Charger is set to widen the scope of conventional electronic gadgets as they can now utilise a solar power source. Indeed, the ZYRUS Solar Charger features USB connectivity, which is standard for most electronic devices such as mobile phones, digital cameras and mp3 players. Normally, the USB port on such gadgets would be used to transfer files, photos and audio tracks onto a personal computer. However, the ZYRUS Solar Charger is able to connect to most such devices via USB in order to charge up their internal battery packs.
In fact, the ZYRUS Solar Charger, which has been branded the ‘Sun Drive’, can offer up to 100 minutes of talk time for the majority of USB enabled mobile phones. Furthermore, on average, it can power up such a device for around 30 hours on standby. The Sun Drive ships as a standalone charger or, for an additional cost, can comprise 4GB of internal storage.
Eternaleds HydraLux-4: the Next Generation of Light Bulb
When the conventional incandescent light bulb was set to be replaced, many people were in uproar at the thought of some ‘new, green fangled thing’ replacing their precious sources of light. The thought of change is usually enough to scare the population into believing just about anything. This is rarely aided by sensational media coverage that serves to whip up hysteria in pursuit of greater sales or internet traffic. Nevertheless, the energy efficient light bulbs have been adopted by most consumers, although many continue to cling to their supply of incandescent bulbs.
However, times are set to change again with the introduction of the HydraLux-4 light bulb by Eternaleds, which is currently available in two shades (‘Warm White’ and ‘Daylight White’) and costs just under $35 in US money. Whilst this cost is notably high for a light bulb, the price will no doubt reduce as demand increases. Furthermore, this ingenious product is the first commercial LED bulb to use liquid cooling technology in the form of paraffin oil. This harmless liquid has been tested rigorously for compliance with various safety standards.
The HydraLux-4 represents a significant step forward in light bulb technology and comprises no environmentally harmful substances, such as mercury. Suitable for indoor or outdoor use and fully dimmable, the key feature of this bulb is that it uses a 4W bulb to generate an output that is the equivalent of a 25W incandescent A-Shape bulb. Furthermore, it lasts 35,000 hours longer than incandescent bulbs, runs at a cool temperature and could save around £100 of electricity each year.
Cleaner water with the Water Purator
Although many issues facing humanity can be blown out of all proportion by the media, one sensitive problem that has not been widely discussed is that of fresh water consumption. Indeed, it has been suggested the world’s population is heading towards a humanitarian crisis unless effective measures can be undertaken to provide greater sources of fresh water. However, any plan to solve this issue can only be realised if nations work together. The consequence of humanity’s growing population and inability to solve common problems will undoubtedly result in millions of deaths.
Water shortage will also cause many crops throughout the world to fail, which will add to the burgeoning food crisis. Whilst many people in the developed world will not be directly affected, the combination of worldwide food and water shortages will impact on all nations eventually. It is also
important to note that the standard of drinking water in the UK, whilst perfectly safe to drink, is not all that good. Furthermore, there are fundamental health concerns surrounding bottled water in the country, with the plastic containers used linked to a number of fatal diseases. Ultimately, people in the developed world tend to take water for granted.
Although not a solution to the world’s water shortage crisis, the Zuvo Water Purator offers a convenient and effective filtration system for home use. Comprising a five step process that combines UV light, Ozone and standard filtration techniques, the Zuvo Water Purator connects to the tap and consumes just 27W of electricity when the water runs. The Water Purator will help to remove traces of lead and chlorine.
