The amazing thing about LED bulbs is that you can feel the energy being saved - they don't get hot!  Almost 5 years ago, new white-light LEDs were announced.  So today, you'd think we'd be trying to ban compact fluorescent bulbs (ie tuby ones!) let alone incandescent  bulbs (ie old-fashioned ones!). 

Priced Out of the Market...

Spotlights are ideal for LEDs as they tend to be clustered in groups anyway and they do get very hot.  The problem is the cost - we list them here at £8.95 each - here.  A pack is better value but still a significant investment.  You can buy halogen spotlight bulbs for as little as £1.68 each - here.

Read the Full Post...

Looking backwards while moving forwards is the way I like to think of the home power station. 

Here's an example 

A brief tour of a Canadian off-grid house and its technology.

No more than a few hundred years ago, almost all energy would have been generated at the place of use - home, factory, school etc.  In the 20^th century, economies of scale and poor technology demanded centralisation.  In the 21^st centry we can look back to the model and apply modern technology to make generating energy at the point of use cheaper and easier.

Read the Full Post...

I commented on a post on the Big Green Switch today.  It got me thinking.  Energy saving is becoming more and more financially viable.  Indeed, you could go so far as to say it's becoming a financial imperitive - either from new taxes or price rises.  I'm going to have a look at the available savings from various forms of energy saving devices.

Solar Hot Water 

Read the Full Post...

It's that oh-so-exciting time on the political calendar - the Budget!

The extraordinary thing about politics and news in the last year is the space given to the environmental agenda.  This budget seems like it won't be too different.

Technology

I have to admit to loving gadgets and I love to see an innovative solution to avoid waste or to create something from nothing (or very little).  Solar products fascinate me because they run and run and run but unlike Duracell batteries which definitely will run out eventually, solar panels will never stop (even when it's cloudy!).

Read the Full Post...

The really great thing about being greener is it can combine better technology with sustainability with pure common sense.  After going through the entire griinu Compare catalog it is apparent that there are different scales of green-ness in products.

Thinner and Stronger 

Listening to You and Yours on Radio4 this week, I heard a story about new thinner glass bottles.  A leader here seems to be Adnams whose supplier O-I who won a "gold star" in the Starpack Awards 2007.  It shows how some effort and human ingenuity can create more sustainable designs.  Details.

Read the Full Post...