Are you the type of consumer that quickly pages past the magazine article about going green, reducing your carbon footprint or sustainable energy?
Why?
For many the idea of green living is synonymous with giving up luxurious lifestyles. There’s nothing further from the truth.
Thanks to modern innovation and an industry conscious of the need for comfortable living you can live the smart way—the green way—while living like a king!
We listed a few interesting features of modern smart homes and solar powered living you may not have heard about. Best of all is that you don’t need to build a green home to benefit from some of these. Simply use it in your own space and you’ll be living greener already.
Why Green Living is the Smart Way to Go
A last bit of motivation to keep reading: Many features of smart homes, such as having your own solar panel rather than relying on the grid, lead to savings. Your utility costs go down making solar installations a budget friendly option in the long run.
You’ll also see the goal isn’t only about using renewable electricity but limiting power usage. Simply prevent the need for an air conditioner and you’ll save power.
And with the gadgets below you achieve this goal effortlessly, stylishly and you’ll even have some fun doing it.
Which of these will you try first?
6 Must Have Gadgets for Greener Living
Wear it
We’ll start with a category that’s not necessarily in your home, but it means you’ll be less dependent on your house’s power.
The market for wearable items with solar panels installed is quickly developing:
- A solar powered jacket that keeps you warm by absorbing heat
- Backpack with solar panels to charge mobile devices
- Solar hats
These items aren’t extremely powerful, but your SmartPhone stays charged and you won’t be tempted to turn up the heat the moment you get in from the cold. In the long run it saves you power and money.
Blinds That Power Your Lights
Now let’s help you turn your windows into batteries. Thanks to innovative design solar panels are now durable enough for many applications.
Engineers created aluminium window blinds with solar collectors attached. You can get up to 150W from this every day, which can power some of your lights.
The blinds themselves also use the power to automatically position the collectors for optimum light absorptions throughout the day.
Nifty feature: You can control this gadget via your SmartPhone so you don’t even have to get up to close the blinds anymore. This easy closing method also makes it effortless to manage the room’s temperature. Close the blinds to keep it cool or open them up when you want the sunlight to heat up the room.
If you’re particular about aesthetics, keep your current blinds and use window blind controllers. They’re also solar powered and can be fitted on any type of blind. They’ll adjust the blinds based on the conditions outside or according to a set schedule.
Once again you have an easy method of regulating room temperature so you won’t need the air conditioning as much.
We told you green living is luxury living.
Optimise Sun Power for Cooking
When it’s time for dinner you can exchange your normal kitchen routine for a sun powered cooking experience. Outside. Engineers have designed sun stoves that absorb enough solar power—even when it’s a bit overcast—so you can cook an entire meal inside the device.
Brilliant engineering ensures the oven-like device stays cool to the touch so you won’t burn yourself working with it. Inside your meat and vegetables will quickly heat up for a scrumptious meal.
Best of all is that a device like this allows you to enjoy the outdoors—something we don’t always make time for these days.
Use the Sun to Clean Your Pool
Here’s proof of how green living makes life easy: Let the sun clean your pool.
With a robotic, solar powered pool cleaner you’ll save energy as your pool pump won’t work as hard as usual. It works effectively to keep the surface of your pool free of leaves and debris so they don’t end up in the filter. This can even save you money be preventing damage to your system.
Monitor to Minimise
If all these gadgets inspire you to live more energy conscious, once again a gadget comes to your rescue. An energy monitoring device collects data on your usage throughout the day to help you gauge where you’re using the most power.
One challenge of minimising your footprint is remembering to turn off the appliances when they’re not in use. This type of device will notify you when equipment is left on for no reason so you can start forming better habits.
Everyone’s Favourite: Power Your Phone Via the Window
So, it’s not exactly the window that charges your device, but the UV rays coming through the glass. Simply stick the solar device against your window at the office or in the car. Now charge your mobile device any time during the day without using the grid.
These gadgets are so popular because we all own SmartPhones. The solar chargers are small enough to carry in your pocket so there’s no reason to have a flat battery ever again.
The environment is a good enough reason to try new methods that could very well save our natural resources. But your comfort matters too which is why this industry caters to your needs.
No need to feel guilty or avoid those articles anymore. You can save the world in a fun way.
