GetWithGreen.com » Audio / Visual

Device mimics leeches, ejects plug when gadget is done charging

Megan Treacy — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:20:00 +0000

Leeches drink blood until they're full and then fall off of their host, but our plugged-in gadgets keep drinking electricity even once they're fully charged. The Outlet Regulator changes this by ejecting the plug from the electricity source once the gadget is done charging, turning vampire electronics into leeches. Designed by Conor Klein, a student at Rhode Island School of Design, this device solves a dilemma faced in every home. We all want to prevent frivolous energy use by leaving gadgets plugged in too long, but it's almost impossible to unplug your devices at the exact point they're done charging. The Outlet Regulator takes care of that for you as demonstrated in the video above. The product works by using a timer circuit and electromechanics to eject its plug which disconnects your device from the wall outlet, stopping electricity consumption. This is an example of a design where you think, "How has no one thought of this before?" It's such an obvious solution and could easily be adopted by everyone. Hopefully we'll see this product on shelves soon. My only qualm is this: Why must these things alway involve blood? via Engadget

Energy vampires: Is it worth it to unplug your electronics?

Lori Bongiorno — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:53:16 +0000

(Photo: Getty Images)

It's common knowledge that appliances continue to draw a small amount of power when they're switched off but still plugged in.

One solution is to unplug electronics and chargers when you aren't using them. Or you can plug cords into a power strip and switch it off whenever you want to cut off all power to appliances.

But many consumers wonder if it's worth the hassle to unplug electronics they aren't using. The answer, of course, depends on your objectives.

While it's true that an "informed and aggressive approach can reduce standby use by about 30 percent," according to scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, "There are more productive ways to save energy with an investment of an hour."

The upshot? If it's easy for you to unplug chargers and other electronics when you aren't using them, then go for it. And no-one says you have to unplug everything. You might want to choose the biggest energy hogs or items that are easily unplugged.

But don't fret if you find the job too tedious or hard to remember. The following actions are all easy and, in some cases, save you more money with much less effort than stamping out energy vampires.

Pick and choose what works best for you from this list, or try everything for an estimated annual savings of $275.

Activating the power-save function on your computer is a super-easy way to shave up to $90 a year off your utility bills. Exactly how much you save depends on whether you use a laptop or a CPU and a monitor and how long you currently leave your computer on for.

Low power mode also helps equipment run cooler so it lasts longer. Get into the habit of turning off your monitor when you walk away for 20 minutes and your computer when you leave your desk for more than two hours, and you'll rack up even more savings.

Reduce the brightness setting of your television. Select the "home" mode because the "retail" or "vivid" mode (the default setting for most TVs) uses up to 25 percent more power, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.

While you're at it, activate the energy- and power-saving modes on your TV and other appliances and save around $43.04 a year.

Video game consoles, such as the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360, use nearly the same amount of power when they are turned on and left idle as they do when you are actively playing a game or watching a movie.

Save more than $100 a year by remembering to turn off your gaming system whenever you're not using it.

Switching off unneeded lights will save you $21.04 a year. Does it make sense to turn off the light when you leave a room for a few minutes? Yes for incandescent bulbs. Fifteen minutes is a good rule of thumb for compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Speaking of CFLs, Consumer Reports' tests found that each CFL will save you around $5 a year in electricity costs over a regular bulb.

Wash your clothes in cold water. You'll reduce your bill by around $18.58 a year and it's better for your clothes.

Even just switching your temperature setting from hot to warm water can cut a load's energy use by half, according to the Department of Energy.

Environmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green's users. Send Lori a question or suggestion for potential use in a future column. Her book, Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life is available on Yahoo! Shopping and Amazon.com.

Check out Yahoo! Green on Twitter and Facebook.

Knoll Systems gives your home music while using less power!

David Putnam — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:17:18 +0000

We brought your attention to the eco-friendly Knoll Systems GSZ67 whole house distributed music amplifier-controller a few months back. Well if you are looking to have music delivered throughout your home as part of your remodel, and stay eco-friendly by reducing power consumption in the process, then you need to check out the new and even more affordable GSZ44!

The all new GSZ44 controller-amplifier (with keypads included) is just what you need if you want four separate areas of your home to have speakers and music flowing throughout. With the GSZ44, your master retreat and master bath can be tuned to an Elton John CD, while outside the kids are playing in the yard to the sounds of High School Musical 3. All the music coming from your single home stereo! So you decide you’d rather tune to XM satellite, well just press the Source button on the keypad on your bedroom/bathroom wall. Guests at parties can hear the same music throughout your home as they mingle.

For $999, the complete GSZ44 package enables whole house audio distribution in four separate areas of your home, and includes four keypads that are placed like light switches on your wall. The keypads allow you to change from CD to radio to satellite to cable audio (and more), and adjust volume in the room you are occupying.

So what is so ‘green’? Each GSZ44 controller-amplifier features award winning Eco-System™ circuitry, which offers twice the power and a tenth the energy consumption of its competitors. This patent pending circuit determines which speakers are in use and delivers power only to those channels needing it. The channels that are “off” are truly off, not in “standby” or “mute”.

According to Knoll Systems, a typical homeowner will enjoy a savings of hundred dollars or more per year in electrical costs and that can be multiplied when taking into account the increased costs of air conditioning to extract unwanted heat produced by a typical multi-channel amplifier. A comparable amplifier without the Eco-System™ circuit uses about 14 times (40 watts) as much power while idling in standby. By comparison the GSZ44 with Eco-System™ uses under 2 watts while idling!

We still haven’t seen a product like this for home audio at GetWithGreen.com. If you are going to be including “distributed audio” or music in your home and want to get a bit more eco-friendly in the process then we think you should check out the GSZ44 at a Knoll Systems distributor!

Scary Energy Bills? Rid yourself of vampire power in 2009

David Putnam — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 03:39:58 +0000

Is your energy bill scary? Slaying energy vampires during your remodel can help you and Americans save millions.

In the spirit of Halloween, the EPA today warns us all to be on the watch for lurking energy vampires – or vampire power. These are the electronics and adapters that consume electricity when they are not being used. Power adapters and phone chargers are easy vampires power suckers to spot, and also easy to slay. Every energy vampire you vanquish saves you money, helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and helps in the fight against climate change.

“EPA encourages everyone to look for vampires in their home and get rid of this energy waste,” said Brian McLean, director of EPA’s Office of Atmospheric Protection. “Using less energy means less greenhouse gas emissions.”

The average U.S. household spends $100 per year to power devices while they are off (or in standby mode). On a national basis, this standby power accounts for more than 100 billion kilowatt hours of annual U.S. electricity consumption and more than $10 billion in annual energy costs.

These simple steps can protect our homes from energy vampires:

Unplugging power adapters or battery chargers when equipment is fully charged or disconnected from the charger.
Using a power strip that can be switched off when electronics and appliances are not in use.
Looking for the Energy Star label when purchasing products.

Come back soon to read more about vampire power products at GetWithGreen.com. Boo!

Hitachi Energy Star plasma televisions, where do they rank?

David Putnam — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:00:41 +0000

Hitachi showed off their New Plasma HDTVs at the CEDIA Expo in Denver last week.

The new ENERGY STAR compliant plasma televisions from Hitachi are available in two screen sizes (42-inch and 50-inch). GetWithGreen.com compared the operating power levels of the Hitachi 50-inch plasma to the models we discussed with you late last year. The 50-inch models (P50A202 and P50A402) both rank right in the middle of the pack with the other ENERGY STAR plasma televisions.

The A, S, V and X Series are available now. The Hitachi 2008 Plasma Display Panels are priced as follows. In all instances below, pricing indicated is the Manufacturer’s Advertised Price (MAP):

42-inch A-Series (model P42A202): $1,399
(Avg Power: 249W, Max Power: 386W)
50-inch A-Series (models P50A202/P50A402): $1,599 each
(Avg Power: 288W, Max Power: 480W)
50-inch S-Series (model P50S602): $2,199
(Avg Power: 388W, Max Power: 571W)
50-inch V-Series (model P50V702): $2,499
Avg Power: 398W, Max Power: 586)
50-inch X-Series (model P50X902): $3,199
Avg Power: 398, Max Power: 586W)

GetWithGreen.com commends Hitachi for making it easy for buyers to find plasma power consumption numbers in the Hitachi manuals.

The new Hitachi HDTVs feature high gloss Japan black and high gloss crystal frames with manual swivel stands or remote controlled power swivel stands. The new UltraBlack Panels boxed cell structure produces darker blacks and the new proprietary phosphor formulations deliver industry leading deep, rich colors say Hitachi.

The new PictureMaster(TM) VI digital video processor features the second generation of Hitachi’s Reel60(TM) technology, a patented innovation that, according to the manufacturer, eliminates “judder” for the ultimate in smooth, clear motion. The new HDTVs also debut a new feature for film enthusiasts called Cinema48(TM). Working with 24p HDMI inputs, Cinema48 provides viewers with the same visual timing and feeling that they experience in movie theaters.

Your home network will need a Wireless Router, Linksys gets eco-friendly

GetGreen — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:11:23 +0000

Today Linksys (a division of Cisco) announced that they are jumping on the greener bandwagon with the delivery of eco-friendly packaging around their home networking gear, as well as ENERGY STAR compliance for some of their router products.

Just about every one of us homeowners will put in a new network during our remodel. On the list will likely be a wireless router. As you are looking, look harder at those manufacturers who are doing just a bit more like this.

So what is so “green” about the Linksys packaging:

Linksys has removed the “sleeve” (outer packaging that contains all the printing and information about the product). Instead of having a “sleeve,” Linksys plans to print all the information on the box itself, eliminating the extra “sleeve” material.
Linksys also reduced the size of the box its products come in.
All packaging and internal documents are printed on paper that is made from 80% recycled content and we now use vegetable and soy inks.
Internal packaging is transitioning to more recyclable material.
The use of plastic bags is being eliminated where possible.

The nice part is that Linksys is a leading provider of these products, and the scale of this effort across their market really does add up to some environmental savings. The new eco-friendlier packaging and materials provides more than 40% reduction in waste materials compared to the previously offered packaging. Linksys believes this is estimated to be equal to the following based on the sources the quote:

Saving 790 acres of pine or fir forest trees (per year)*
–1.3 million trees planted in a 5 ft by 5 ft space configuration**
Taking 3,000 cars off the road (per year)*

The eco-friendlier packaging will be available this month throughout select retailers such as Best Buy, Circuit City and Wal-Mart and online retailers on the Wireless-N Routers (skus: WRT310N, WRT160N, WRT610N, WRT110, WRT54GS).

How does Linksys comply with Energy Saving Standards?

Linksys received ENERGY STAR certification on more than thirty of its consumer networking products including wired and wireless routers, gateways, game adapters and modems. This means these products meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy.

The energy consumed by the power adapters has been cut almost in half. For example, a router used 4.6 watts of power and a new router with one of the ENERGY STAR certified power adapters can use as little as 2.6 watts of power.**** This equates to a power reduction estimation between 14MW and 17MW (based on Linksys’ top 10 shipping product volume, which is approximately 11,000,000 units). That is enough power to light 14,000 houses for one full day.***

The ENERGY STAR certified products will be rolling out this month. Look for the logo on the packaging of their products.

*Source: Wal-Mart Sustainable Scorecard, Linksys and Moduslink
**Source: Warnell School of Forest Resources
*** Source: CNN.com 1MW is equal to lighting 1,000 houses a day.
**** Reference example only. Actual power consumption depends on environmental conditions, usage patterns and other factors.

AUDIO-VISUAL: Knoll Systems amplifier wins Electronic House

GetGreen — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:42:10 +0000

We covered the energy efficiency of the Knoll Systems multi-zone audio amplifiers earlier this year. Just this week the company won Electronic House’s 2008 Product of the Year Award for the GSZ67 multi-room audio controller amplifier! Congratulations!!

The GSZ67 is an amplifier that controls multiple speaker “zones” in your newly remodeled home. The multi-room controller allows you to plug in 7 different audio sources (e.g. Sonus, iPod, Sirius, XM, Comcast, etc.) and play a different audio source in up to 6 different places in your home (or backyard).

The significance of the GSZ67 is the innovative Knoll Systems Eco-System circuitry that, unlike other multi-zone amplifiers, dramatically reduces power consumption when zones in your home are not being used! This reduction in energy usage, also contributes less to heat creation, further reducing your cooling needs.

If A/V is part of your remodel, take a look at the GSZ67. We also hear there are some more great power saving audio innovations coming from Knoll at the CEDIA show in September!!

AUDIO-VISUAL: Mitsubishi LaserVue television uses 50% less energy

GetGreen — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:00:27 +0000

Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Inc. has just announced additional details surrounding the performance and functionality of its LaserVue TV. With operating power targeted at under 200 watts, the LaserVue TVs are environmentally friendly, consuming approximately one-half the power of today’s LCD TVs, and one-third of plasma TVs. If you read our past article on the most efficient 50″ plasma TVs then you’ll know that this is more than a 50% energy consumption savings for a large format television of this size – great news!

Mitsubishi says, LaserVue will be available in 65″ and 73″ models with the 65? Diamond shipping to authorized retailers in the third quarter of this year and the 73? Diamond to follow. LaserVue will raise the bar for large screen television by delivering twice the color at half the power of today’s HDTVs while at the same time providing an unparalleled 3D viewing experience.

At approximately 10 inches deep, LaserVue TV has been designed for both floor stand and wall-mount applications.

GetWithGreen.com tried to get the pricing out of Mitsubishi, but all they would tell us is that the pricing will be comparable to “other premium flat panel TVs of the same size”.

AUDIO-VISUAL: Klipsch P-39F speakers take a green eco-friendly approach

GetGreen — Wed, 14 May 2008 12:00:07 +0000

Home audio manufacturer Klipsch, just announced their very high-end Palladium P-39F floorstanding speaker set. While this speaker qualifies for the high-end remodeler budget ($20,000/pair), we wanted to bring it our audience because we like what Klipsch did with the wood paneling on this product — and we know their are homeowners out there that will purchase these!

The company moved away from the use of zebrawoodveneer (considered a threatened species), often desired by high-end homeowner’s with home theaters, and replaced it with woods from government controlled harvests. The team over at ecoustics.com discusses the move in detail, backed up by the recent Klipsch press release.

AUDIO-VISUAL: Which whole house audio amplifiers are most efficient?

GetGreen — Sun, 04 May 2008 12:00:15 +0000

As homeowners, many of us will use our home remodel as an opportunity to ?upgrade? our existing home audio and visual equipment such as televisions, amplifiers, satellite/cable box, DVD players, whole house audio, video games, etc.

With these upgrades, you have an opportunity to reduce power consumption in your home ? making your home a greener home. Further, if your new equipment is an addition to your power consumption, then there are products that are better choices than others relative to energy consumption.

Today, we want to talk about the whole house audio category, and innovation which is occurring in the whole house audio market. Whole house audio is sound that is piped to various locations in your home, and you hear it through speakers in your walls or ceiling. You select a source (DVD, iPod, Pandora, XM Satellite) in the room you are occupying, your amplifier recognizes your selection, and then delivers the sound/music to your location.

A key component of whole house audio system is a multi-channel amplifier. Suppliers of multi-zone multi-channel amplifiers are company?s such as Knoll Systems, Russound, Xantech and others. Most are installed by system integrators, or home theater installers.

Up until now, amplifiers in home audio systems consume significant power in standby mode. Essentially if you have a computer for internet radio, a DVD player, a receiver for radio, a television, XM satellite, and Sonos connected, your amplifier is supplying power to run those products at all times — 24/7! Whether they are being used or not, your amplifier is consuming power ? obviously extremely wasteful! This wasted power is often referred to as ?parasitic power?.

GetWithGreen.com recently sat down with Richard Hanson, Director of Marketing for Knoll Systems. Knoll Systems has been supplying audio and amplifier products to the home theater market for over 10 years. Kevin Knoll started, and has run the business for 24 years. We wanted to learn more about what Knoll is doing to reduce power consumption, and make whole house audio less of a power pig when you?re not around.

In March Knoll Systems announced a revolutionary new circuit design for several of their multi-channel amplifiers. Trademarked ?Eco-System circuit?, this new innovative patent-pending technology turns off any channels that not being used by a homeowner. The Knoll Systems amplifiers are not in standby mode, they are not in mute mode, their amplifiers are completely shut down for channels not being used!

Hanson tells GetWithGreen, that not only are you going to do better for our environment, but calculations show a savings of $100-150 per year for the typical homeowner in electrical costs. A typical amplifier without an Eco-System circuit uses 14 times (40 watts) more power than an amplifier equipped with an Eco-System circuit. A Knoll Systems amplifier equipped with an Eco-System circuit uses less than 4 watts when in idle mode.

The savings in dollars and the environment goes even further, Hanson tells us, because the Eco-System circuit shuts down channels when not in use — it generates far less heat! Thus reducing electricity (e.g. fans) required for cooling your equipment while you are not around!

The products from Knoll that you want to check out are the GS8 eight Channel Amplifier (List: $1,178), the GS12 twelve Channel Amplifier (List: $1,238), or the GSZ67 seven source six room Controller Amplifier ($2,199). All three are equipped with Eco-System circuit technology.

Knoll products are not found on the shelves of Best Buy or Circuit City. You can purchase them from a network of Knoll distributors across the US and around the world. Similar multi-channel amplifiers for your whole house audio system are available from Russound (Model: CAA66) and from Xantech (Model: MRC88CTL), but neither offer the energy saving technology of the Knoll Systems products from what we could tell. Knoll Systems is working now to license Eco-System circuit technology to amplifier providers. Let?s see who adopts them!

Finally, Gordon van Zuiden of CyberManorasked GetWithGreen.com as we were writing this article if the Knoll product had a latency when turning on a source. Richard tells us that there is zero latency, and they prove it by using the amplifier to run their paging system at Knoll ? which must have zero latency to operate properly.

So before you go out and purchase that new A/V system, please take some time and look at energy saving alternatives, such as amplifiers that contain Knoll Systems Eco-System circuit technologies.