A Chimney Pillow saves energy and money
Now that winter has really arrived, many of us are feeling the chill. But how do you stay warm while saving energy – both to keep your carbon footprint and your bills low? One way to do this is to make sure you aren’t losing heat out of your house through poor insulation. There’s no point in cranking up the heating if your home is still draughty and cold! The chimney pillow from Dr Energy is one way you can save energy. This inflatable pillow comes in a range of sizes and can be inserted into any standard chimney. Airtight, tear-resistant and long-lasting, it is designed to allow ventilation, but prevent draughts or debris from coming down the chimney into your home. It is easily inflated (either by the mouth inflation tube or by a pump) and can be deflated and removed if you wish to use the fireplace, ready to be re-inflated and reused as needed. And don’t panic if you forget to remove it – the pillow is designed for safety, so it simply shrivels and deflates if accidentally heated. Cutting down draughts from the chimney is one way of reducing heat waste, but there are many more. Use draught excluders around doors to stop heat loss, and if you don’t have double glazing, hanging cold protection curtains can dramatically reduce energy wastage. These are thin, heat reflecting curtains designed to prevent heat loss in winter and protect from direct sunlight in summer, and are cheap and easy to install. Taking a few simple steps like this can help reduce your energy use this winter – saving you money, and helping save the planet.
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 £23 Solar Panel: a Hair Raising Idea?
An 18 year old Nepalese science student studying in the country’s capital, Kathmandu, has created a stir this week by announcing details of his inexpensive solar panel solution. Whereas traditional solar panel installations are costly, Milan Karki’s invention costs as little as £23 to produce a single fully functional solar panel. As to the main reason why it costs so little, the answer may surprise some people as it is, in fact, hair. Rather than using expensive silicon components that are necessary to conduct electricity in standard solar panels, Karki’s invention uses human hair, which is an excellent conductor of electricity.
Milan Karki’s ingenious solution demonstrates how eco-friendly products can be driven down in costs. Furthermore, it shows natural products can be used to harness renewable solar energy, which reduces the manufacturing process, in turn reducing the carbon footprint left by producing such devices. Moreover, human hair is already exported in massive quantities from countries such as India and China as it is used by a number of farmers (typically to help tomatoes grow bigger) and, somewhat perversely, by the food industry (typically to make pizza doughs) – presumably this has something to do with the amino acid, Lysine, contained in the hair.
Thus, it would appear the somewhat improbable hair business is set to increase further if Karki’s idea can be turned into a sustainable and viable eco-friendly product. Indeed, what started out as a greener solution to generate green power for his home village may just enable communities all over the world to do exactly the same. Of course, in the meantime, if you want to use solar power, there are a number of less ‘hair-raising’ solutions readily available in this country, including easy to use solar panel kits.
