Featured Posts in Electricity

Charge Your Phone with a DIY Candle-Powered Charger

In Diy, Chargers, Batteries, Electricity, Electronics, Cellphones, Smartphones, Fun, Clips, / 25 May 2012 / 0 comments

So the power's out, and you've broken out the candles to keep things well-lit—but your phone's about to die too, with no working wall outlet in sight! DIY weblog Tinkernut shows us how to power your phone with the heat of one of those candles.

This is one of those fun-but-only-mildly-practical projects perfect for a day off and a little science lesson. Essentially, you'll be using a Peltier device scavenged from a USB drink chiller, a can of cooking fuel, and a cheap AA phone charger to create the device. You won't need a ton of electronics experience to pull it off, either, so it's great for when you just feel like tinkering around. Of course, you could always charge it with the AA charger, but why waste a battery when you could charge your phone and light your house at the same time (not to mention roast a few marshmallows)? Check out the video above to see it in action.

Candle Powered Phone Charger | Tinkernut
Automatically Turn Off Your Electronics When You Leave the Room, Courtesy of Bluetooth

In Diy, Electricity, Electronics, Saving Money, Bluetooth, Code, Money, Bills, Clips, / 25 April 2012 / 0 comments

There are a lot of great ways to cut down on your energy bill, but DIYer Mike found an even better, automated way: he's set up his electrical socket to turn off when he leaves the room.

Mike originally set up a Linux desktop to control the electricity in that room with a bit of electronics tweaking and some code, but he soon realized he could make it even better by hooking it up to a Bluetooth receiver. Now, whenever he exits the room (with his Bluetooth-enabled phone in his pocket), the computer will detect that it is out of range and turn off the socket connected to his lights, monitors, and other electronics. Hit the link to see how he did it.

Controlling the Mains with Bluetooth Proximity | Products of Mike's Mind via Hack a Day
Turn On Your Video Game System’s Auto-Shutdown Feature for Serious Energy Savings

In Saving Money, Money, Energy, Electricity, Video Games, Xbox, Playstation, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Houshold, / 19 April 2012 / 0 comments

If you have an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, you (like many others) may leave it on when it's not in use—but they drain more electricity than you think, even when on standby. Luckily, each has an auto-shutdown feature to save you power.

A recent study found that not only do your video game systems draw a lot of power—which should be pretty obvious—but that they draw almost as much power if they're on and not actively being used. So, if you leave your system on in hopes that it won't cost you extra cash on your energy bill, you'd be mistaken. We've talked about ways to automatically turn them off and save money, but it turns out you don't need a fancy surge protector or any other device to automatically shut down your game systems—both the Xbox 360 and PS3 have an auto-shutdown feature built right in. Just head to your System Settings on either device and look for the Auto-Off feature.

Some of you probably do this already, and some of you probably just turn it off when you're done playing, but you'd be surprised at the number of people that don't—just like the number of people that never put their computers to sleep. Wii users are a bit luckier, as the Wii doesn't draw nearly as much power as the other two systems, so its effect on your energy bill is much less noticeable. But, as with all electronics, it's just good practice to turn your gear off when you aren't using it. Hit the link to read more about how much power these game systems draw and what kind of effect it can have on your power bill.

Electricity consumption and energy savings
potential of video game consoles in the
United States (PDF) | Energy Efficiency via GHacks

Photo by Jamie McCall.
Verde for iPad Suggests Simple Changes You Can Make to Save Money and Energy

In Ios Downloads, Saving Money, Energy-saving, Electricity, Power, Environment, Money, Finance, Personal Finance, Green, Appliances, Electric Bills, Household, Ipad Downloads, Ipad, Ios, / 18 April 2012 / 0 comments

iOS: The warm weather is upon us in these parts, and that means higher energy bills as we struggle to keep our homes cool and comfortable. If you're looking for a way to save some money on your power bill this spring and summer, Verde is a free app for the iPad that takes into account how much you pay for electricity, and then runs the numbers for you to let you know how much you can save by making small—or large—changes in your home and habits.

We've shown you how to really save money on your energy bills, but if you're looking for some easier tricks to help you get your toes in the water before doing something more drastic, Verde can help. The app asks you where you live (or uses your device's GPS to determine it - this part is US only) and asks you what you pay per kilowatt hour (usually displayed on your power bill, but the app will make a suggestion if you don't know.) Once the app knows your location and your rate, it then asks you to select the appliances and energy-sucking devices you have in your home from a really well arranged and organized list of equipment.

After the app has your rate, the appliances you use, and the regularity with which you use those appliances, Verde will generate a report for you detailing how much energy you use on average in a day, week, and month, how much each of your appliances costs you every time you use them, and what changes you can make to reduce that cost. Each suggestion is even noted with how many trees you save by changing your habits, but if that doesn't resonate with you, the amount of money you'll save is listed as well.

Verde takes a couple of minutes to get set up and running, but it's a small setup price to pay for the wealth of suggestions the app offers when you're finished. It's worth noting that the app is iPad only, and while it's currently free, its normal price is $4.99—which it returns to after Earth Day, April 22nd. How do you manage your energy costs? Do you have any tips to share? Let's hear them in the comments below.

Verde | iTunes App Store via Addictive Tips

Charge Your Phone with a DIY Candle-Powered Charger

Automatically Turn Off Your Electronics When You Leave the Room, Courtesy of Bluetooth

Turn On Your Video Game System’s Auto-Shutdown Feature for Serious Energy Savings

Verde for iPad Suggests Simple Changes You Can Make to Save Money and Energy

Turn an Old Cellphone Into a Super Cheap Home Automation System

Words to Avoid Online If You Don’t Want to Join the Government’s Watch List

The Priority Pyramid Tells You Which Financial Goals to Tackle Now

Turn a Soda Bottle into a Worry-Free Self-Watering Planter

Perfectly Prune Your Notifications to Stop Your Phone from Constantly Bugging You

Turn an Old Cellphone Into a Super Cheap Home Automation System

Words to Avoid Online If You Don’t Want to Join the Government’s Watch List

The Priority Pyramid Tells You Which Financial Goals to Tackle Now

Turn a Soda Bottle into a Worry-Free Self-Watering Planter

Perfectly Prune Your Notifications to Stop Your Phone from Constantly Bugging You

Keep Shaving Lather Warm by Storing It in a Sink Full of Hot Water

Pig Toolbox Adds Gesture Controls, YouTube Tools, Mail Checking, and More to Chrome with One Extension

Velcro Remote Controls to a Coffee Table for Easy, Uncluttered Access

Force YouTube Links on iPhone to Open Up in Safari

Senti Wayk for Android Wakes You Gently, Quiets Down When You Say Snooze

How Do You Stay Productive After Work?

Use a Garlic Press to Juice Key Limes

How to Get Out Of Your Cell Phone Contract Without Paying Termination Fees

Perfectly Prune Your Notifications to Stop Your Phone from Constantly Bugging You

Keep Shaving Lather Warm by Storing It in a Sink Full of Hot Water

Outline Your "Definition Of Done" to Avoid the Perfection Bug

Cortex Camera Takes Great Low Light iPhone Photos

Use A Popcorn Bag’s Vent to Filter Out Kernels