The rate of increase in energy usage is simply staggering
existing light fixtures formerly used for incandescents. In addition to the direct cost savings CFLs bring, they also tend to last much longer than traditional lights. The average rated life of a CFL is between 8 and 15 times that of incandescents. Of course, CFLs are more expensive. However, while the purchase price of an integrated CFL is typically 3 to 10 times greater than that of an equivalent incandescent lamp, the extended lifetime and lower energy use will more than compensate for the higher initial cost. One issue, however, is that typical CFL’s cannot be dimmed. Attempts at making dimmable CFL’s have not yet been 100% successful, with complaints of high pitched buzzing when dimming. It appears that this technology still has to mature. LED’s LED (Light emitting diodes) technology has also made great strides in development over the last few years. LED’s are many times more efficient than incandescent bulbs. LED’s are also more suited to replacing power hungry 12V down lighters than CFL’s, but attempting to do so without replacing the power supply as well, may not be successful. LED’s can be dimmed, but once again only with dimmers that are suited to them. Currently cost is a major impediment to LED technology taking over the lighting world. Watch this space... Home Energy Monitor This is a device that does not actually save any energy itself, but probably has more potential to effect energy savings than all the sum of all the other devices on this list. The home or remote energy meter is a device
that displays the current energy consumption of the home as well as the resultant cost. The unit should be placed in a prominent or easily visible position, and it allows the home owner to see how much energy he or she is using. Knowledge is power, and in this case, one will instantly know what one’s energy consumption is costing. With the radical electricity price increases that the South African home owner has faced over the last few years, this is something that should really be a necessity rather than a luxury in every home. Self-powered Devices Although not in the energy saving league of solar geysers, this is an interesting concept in sustainability. The intent here is that, through some type of human energy transfer, an electronic device can power itself. Commercially available examples include the well-known wind-up radios invented by Trevor Bayliss and manufactured by Freeplay. Other examples include torches that work once they have been vigorously shaken. There is even a remote control device that can be “wound up”. Generate It Yourself Taking the idea of self-powered devices one step further, Ideso is currently developing a home exercise device that can power a number of devices. Rather than merely wasting all those kilojoules, the device stores the energy in a large battery, which can then be used to charge any device like a mobile phone, rechargeable batteries for toys or remote controls, even an electric toothbrush. Stand-by Power Scavenger Many devices in the modern home have a
“stand by” mode. The device, like a TV or DVD player is effectively in sleep mode, but is still using a small amount of power. Stand-by scavengers monitor this and then switch the power off at the plug. It is a small saving for each household, but when added up over all households countrywide it has a huge potential. Estimates done in the UK show that an entire power station’s energy is used merely to keep all the country’s standby devices powered up. From the examples mentioned, it can be seen that technology does not only have to add to energy usage. Only a few examples are mentioned here, but technology can help manage and minimise energy usage immensely and provide us with a more sustainable future. About the author: Marc Ruwiel is the head of design and owner of Ideso, one of South Africa’s leading Industrial Design Companies. He qualified with a B.Eng in industrial engineering at the University of Stellenbosch in 1988 and received NHD in industrial design (cum laude) from the Cape Technikon in 1996. Since founding Ideso in 1998, the company has designed over 400 products for clients ranging from entrepreneurs to global corporations. For more info, visit www.ideso.co.za
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