There’s nothing we love more than helping homeowners save energy and cut down their bills. That’s why we’ve been busy compiling this list of simple, easy-to-use gadgets designed to save energy in the home. Here’s our top 7:
1. Freeloader
The Freeloader collects solar power which you can then use to charge your mobile, iPod, camera or other electrical devices. Just leave it on a sunny windowsill and let it work its magic! The Freeloader Classic costs £39.99 and according to the manufacture it can give power to an iPod/iPhone for 18 hours, a smart phone for 44 hours, a Sony PSP or Nintendo DS for 2.5 hours and an iPad for 2 hours.
2. Eco Kettle
The Eco Kettle has received the Energy Saving Trust Recommended mark. It works by moving the required amount of water into a separate chamber to be boiled — meaning you only boil exactly what you need. It uses 31% less energy than a standard kettle and prices range from around £35 – £60. The time it takes to make your money back will depend on how often you make a brew!
3. Heatkeeper Radiator Insulation Panels
These reflective panels simply slip behind your radiators and reflect heat back into the room, rather than letting it get lost through your walls. A pack of 5 (enough for 2-3 average size radiators) will set you back £21.75, and according to the manufacturers you can cut your heating bill by up to 30%. Check out their online calculator to find out exactly what you can save.
4. Enviroplug
Many of us leave our phones charging all night, when in fact it only takes a couple of hours to fully charge – for the rest of the time it’s simply wasting electricity. The Enviroplug is a clever little device which detects when your battery is full then automatically switches itself off. On their website they claim that it will reduce power consumption by up to 90%. The Enviroplug costs £9.99.
5. The Ecobutton
If you spend a lot of time using a computer, either at home or in work, then the award-winning Ecobutton could save you a significant amount of money. It’s a big green button that puts your PC straight into sleep mode. Press it again and your PC starts up immediately. The idea is that every time you nip away from your desk to answer a call or make a coffee, your computer is sat their using energy unnecessarily, and over time these little breaks add up to a lot of wasted energy. It would be impractical to set your computer to sleep mode manually every time you got up, so the Ecobutton makes it easy. It costs around £5 – £10 and could save you up to £50 a year.
6. Aladdin Auto Vent Automatic Radiator Bleeder
If air builds up inside your radiators, they use more energy and they won’t get completely hot. As the name suggests, the Aladdin Auto Vent Automatic Radiator Bleeder automatically releases extra air and saves you the hassle of regularly bleeding your radiators yourself. It only costs £9.99 but do note that you will need one for each radiator.
Buy it here
7. Standby Buster
If your house has several TVs and games consoles, then you could be wasting a lot of power if they are often left on standby. As recommended by the Energy Saving Trust, the Standby Buster lets you switch off any device left on standby via a remote control.
A set consisting of one remote and three sockets will cost around £15 – £20, plus you can buy additional plugs. According to Which? a Standby Buster plug could save you up to £40 a year in electricity bills.
Buy it here