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I have always been fascinated by the idea of generating my own electric power. Back in late 1998 I installed a solar power system that has sixteen 75 watt solar panels, along with a 4,000 watt power inverter/charger and a bank of expensive deep-cycle batteries. Mention solar power, and most people think that all of these elements are necessary, including
EnerGenie makes products that helps you keep track of how much electricity you are using in your home and ways to control that usage. The basic product is a socket that plugs into the wall. You can then control any device that is plugged into it by your iPad or iPhone; turning the device on or off, setting a timer
Modern smartphones are expensive, relatively fragile and battery-hungry. Consequently, they're pretty much useless in any tough emergency situation. Todd talks to Christian Scheder of SpareOne about their solution to the problem. The SpareOne emergency phone is a mobile phone that runs off a standard AA battery rather than a rechargeable one more usually found in a mobile phone. While this gives
Many people are going to be buying and getting new big screen TVs, computers and other electronic gear for Christmas and Hanukkah. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to calculate how much these devices will add to your electric bill. Even if you are not getting any new devices, it is winter in the northern hemisphere which means you
Last week I was at a trade show for electrical wholesalers and I came across these single and double power sockets with a USB charging point built-in. As soon as I saw them, I thought, "Those would be handy..." and then I saw the price...£62.74 for the single and £76.60 for the double socket and they're trade prices too (ex
Verbatim are best known for their data storage products and I can remember having piles of Verbatim floppy disks back in the day, as it were. Younger readers will know the company for blank DVDs, memory cards and USB memory sticks but Verbatim have recently launched an LED lighting business. Offering direct plug-in replacements, the goal is to encourage consumers
As energy prices rise and green credentials come under scrutiny, each step in the energy path is being examined for inefficiency. Andy and Courtney listen to Paul Panepinto from Green Plug on their technology. Green Plug have developed a digital controller to optimise the conversion of electricity between AC and DC. For the non-engineers, AC (alternative current) is what is