energy efficiency

Developed by The Laundry Alternative Inc., the Spin Dryer could be up to 100 times more energy efficient than a conventional dryer and could reduce total household energy usage in the U.S. by 6 - 10 percent.

The typical tumble dryer uses about 5,000 watts and run for close to an hour per cycle. The Spin Dryer has short 2 - 3 minute cycle and only uses a maximum of 300 watts. The Spin Dryer works by spinning at a whopping rate of 3200 revolutions per minute, compared to the much slower 500 rpm conventional dryer. This high speed allows the Spin Dryer to extract much more water than a typical washing machine

Solar Electric Vehicles (SEV) has developed a solar module for the 2004 - 2006 Toyota Prius that increases its already great fuel economy. Manufactured with mono-crystalline photovoltaic cells, the module is durable, has no moving parts and is basically maintenance free.

The SEV solar system generates 215 watts of renewable energy and uses a 3kW supplemental battery pack for additional energy storage and increased HV battery performance. The system is capable of adding up to 20 additional miles per day of electric mode driving, increasing the car's fuel economy by up

Direct drive is no longer only for turntables. Sans belts and many inefficient moving parts, the LG Eco Steam washing machine makes the drum into one big motor. This results in extremely quiet operation and simpler maintenance. LG boasts electricity savings

of up to 21 percent over comparable sized washers. In addition to being energy efficient, the appliances save water as well. A built in scale tells the user exactly how much capacity for clothing remains, insuring a full load is run every time. Several cycles and special features use steam, which results

Boulder, Colorado electric-hybrid bike maker Optibike has recently unveiled its OB1 model. The OB1 is a perfect solution for reducing your emissions, getting some good cardiovascular exercise and not arriving to work sweating like a pig.

The idea of electric-hybrid bikes is to add speed or power when you need it (running late or going up hills) but letting you pedal when you please. According to Optibike, "Pedaling an Optibike- you get the same amount of exercise you get on a traditional bicycle- you just go 3X as FAST. The seamless integration of the Optibike patented Motorized Bottom Bracket (MBB) means you can pedal as much, or as little as you desire. Don’t want to get sweaty on your way to work- fine, let the thumb throttle

Phantom power jacking up your utility bill? Sure, you can turn off your power strip. But what if you need your digital video recorder to catch Rock of Love when you're out of town? Belkin's solution hits the shelves this summer in North America and the UK.

The Belkin Conserve is an eight outlet surge protector designed to eliminate standby power and hassle. The unit features two outlets that never turn off, for devices that must remain powered. The rest of the outlets are easily switched off using the included

For $1400 buy the greenest 42 inch flat screen LCD television on the market. Philips full HD set consumes less power than a 100 watt bulb when properly configured. Automatic sensors dim the screen when

the ambient room lighting goes down. In addition, the low-mercury lamp can reduce energy consumption by lowering backlight in dark areas of the screen. The set is assembled with many recyclable components and is lead-free. With all the buzz about standby power consumption these days, this television

Last year on March 31 in Sydney, Australia, thousands of people participated in an event created by the World Wildlife Fund called Earth Hour. At 8 p.m. they turned their lights off for one hour, which resulted in a 10.2% reduction in energy use for the city.

Since then the idea has spread around the globe. This year millions of people in hundreds of cities around the world will participate, along with many major corporations, and, of course, many celebrities. This year's Earth Hour will take place tomorrow night, March 29th, at 8:00 p.m., your own local time. Many

Whirlpool recently unveiled its Trekish-looking "green kitchen" concept. The as yet unnamed amalgam of appliances will supposedly divert up to 60% of the water and heat generated by appliances to fuel other appliances.

The concept is modeled after the cycle of nature, which optimizes the use of heat and water, and is expected to increase energy efficiency up to 70%. For example, the refrigerator will use heat produced

The Alen AirMD is among the best in its class, cleaning indoor air with a combination HEPA filter, ionizer, and UV lamp. But wait, there's more. AirMD circuitry is lead-free and ozone-safe, making it the first device of its kind to be Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) compliant. It uses just 55 watts of electricity, qualifying the air purifier

for Energy Star from the US EPA and the US Department of Energy. AirMD has an integrated programmable timer, and will efficiently clean the air in spaces up to 400 square feet. The device will be showcased this spring

The first-ever Greener Gadgets conference and design competition in New York focused on environmental sustainability and rapid innovation in the consumer electronics industry. The event was sponsored by Inhabitat and Marc Alt Partners to address product life cycle management, energy efficiency, recycling, design, materials, and ecologically-minded lifestyle and product marketing.

Keynote speakers included Mary Lou Jepsen, former Chief Technology Officer of One Laptop Per Child, artists Chris Jordan and Natalie Jeremijenko, and John Solomon, Vice President of the Imaging and Printing Group at Hewlett Packard. Several products were represented