GREEN CHALLENGE: Energy monitoring week
Tech Digest and Hippyshopper will be teaming up next week to find out the ugly truth of exactly how much power we’re consuming on a daily basis. Thanks to the brains behind the operation – the wonderful Abi – and our friends at Ethical Superstore, four bloggers here at Shiny Towers have been equipped with energy monitors to measure our greedy, tech-crazed energy consumptions.
Abi, Katie, Duncan and I will be installing these meters in our homes and keeping an eye on the readings to see just how ‘green’ we really are. Now, what with at least two of our testers being professional gadget freaks (me and Duncan) we are prepared for some shocks. But will Katie and Abi, the so-called eco-worriers, fare any better? Stay tuned for the honest and uncensored results, next week…
Read on after the jump to find out more about our testers and the devices we’ll be using…
I, your editor, Dan, will be taking the OWL wireless energy monitor home to keep tabs on my tech habit, comprising a BT vision box, three computers and a home entertainment system including a ‘bloody big stereo’. My home runs entirely on electricity, so it’ll be intersting to see how this affects the results.
The OWL costs £29.95, and clips on to your electricity meter’s cabling for simple installation.
Shiny’s editorial director Katie will be testing one of the newest monitors on the market: the Efergy. Katie’s home is probably the most eco-friendly of all the Shinies, including an all-electric heating system. Katie’s main concern in terms of power-consuming items is her husband, who works from home during the day. Will he have to go?
The Efergy costs £39.95, and will also convert energy readings into a monetary value, based on the cost price of your electricity.
Tech Digest editorial assistant Duncan is an eco-warrior on the quiet, so we’re all waiting with interest to find out whether his techie or green leanings will win over. The Eco-Eye Elite will be the judge of that, spelling out the horrible truth on a “large clear display”. Will his addiction to his N95 and Zune prove costly?
The Eco-Eye Elite is described as a ‘masterpiece of design and simplicity’ and costs £49.99.
Finally, Abi’ll be revealing just how green she really is with the Daddy of all power meters, The Wattson. (Being the caring sharing editor she is, Abi bagged this gadget for herself and ran off hooting into the night. To be fair, I would have done the same but let’s see how smug she’ll be about it when she calls me up asking how to install the thing!)
Abi would like to point out now that she’s just moved house, so is completely in the dark about how much more power it’ll take to run her new place than her older, smaller flat. Excuse, excuses.
The Wattson costs £99.95 and as well as giving numerical power readings, turns pretty colours depending on how good you’ve been.
The results will be out next week and, in the mean time, if you’re feeling discomfort from your eco-sins, confess all to Sister Abi over at HippyShopper – whom, I confess, is the word-smith behind this post. She’ll be gentle I promise.
Related posts: Wattson – lighten your carbon load | Top 8 eco-gadgets
