The Switch! Project

Switch! examines the presence and use of energy on a neighborhood, community, and citywide basis. Thus, it shifts away from the design of product interfaces and interactions in the home to forms that have a wider presence in the local and public space.

We continue to explore how design might enable people to relate more deeply and in an ongoing manner to energy use, but at an expanded scale- considering household-household, building-building, neighborhood-neighborhood interactions. To approach this, design must be extended beyond discrete people-product interactions to make visible and tangible the connection to wider-scale and longer-term interactions making up a locality, community, and society.

For further background: www.tii.se/switch, www.tii.se/static, www.tii.se/aware

Objectives

▪ promote the rational uses of energy;
▪ promote renewable energy;
▪ provide and disseminate energy information;
▪ protect the environment;
▪ reduce waste of energy in all sectors of society;

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

As stated in wikia...

Energon is the preferred fuel/energy source of Transformers. It has also been shown as food, intoxicating drink, ammunition, even currency. More, it has been described as the basic building block of all Transformers' bodies and sparks.

Typically, energon is highly volatile. Even a small impact can cause energon to detonate explosively.

In most continuities, the safest way to transport Energon is when it is condensed into the form of an energon cube. In this form energon is more stable, but still quite dangerous.

Power Cube, Mobile Solar Power

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Monday, April 21, 2008

MasterLED lamp from PHILIPS


Philips Unveiled a Range of LED Innovations for General Lighting and Scene Setting at Light+Building 2008
Royal Philips Electronics unveiled an innovative range of LED- based solutions for general lighting and scene setting at the Light+Building fair in Frankfurt. The range includes solutions for all market segments, including home, office, street, shops and hospitality, which will accelerate the market adoption of solid state luminaire systems.

more link

Sunday, April 20, 2008

SAVING ENERGY IN THE KITCHEN

Saving electricity is not just a question of conscience. By folowing a few simple provisions each day and using available technology to reduce energy consumption, not only do you protect the environment but you reduce the impact excessive energy consumption can have on your family budget. Starting with the kitchen.

Refrigerators and freezers
Saving Energy in the Kitchen Refrigerators and freezers are the appliances that have the greatest effect on your kitchen's electric bill. Pratically speaking they are always on. Therefore it's very important to try to make them as efficient as possible to reduce waste which adds up to a significant amount at the end of the year.
The first step is undoubtably to choose an appliance whose size corresponds to the real needs of your family.
Second, you must periodically check the seals and apply some simple maintenance guidelines that will lengthen the life of your appliance as much as possible. For example, regularly clean the seals with warm water and dry them, then check the integrity of the seal with a simple piece of paper: insert the paper between the seal and the body of the refrigerator at different locations; if the seal is tight the paper will not fall.
Cleaning other parts of the refrigerator can also contribute to energy savings: a dust covered condensing coil will reduce the efficiency of the appliance and shorten its life. Just clean it a few times a year with an appropriate brush.

Stoves and burners
Saving Energy in the Kitchen It is well to remember that some small electric appliances, which sometimes can be used in place of the stove or burners, generally consume much less electricity (like, for example the toaster). When you must necessarily use the stove or the burners, it is always a good habit to plan the preparation of your meals in such a way that you don't have dead times where the stove or burners continue burning energy unecessarily.
Remember that pre-heating your oven is only necessary for foods that contain powdered yeast and is just a waste for cooking meat or roasts.
You also save heat and therefore energy by not frequently opening the stove door or peering inside covered pots. And the pots you use should be of an appropriate size for the food you are cooking; if they contain extra water remember that you must spend energy to heat that water.
Another good habit is to turn off the stove or grill a short time before you finish cooking. That way the accumulated heat can finish the cooking without using additional energy.

Lighting
Saving Energy in the Kitchen Although lighting consumes much less energy than electrical appliances, it is still possible to adopt measures to (greatly) reduce their energy consumption. Not everyone is aware of the advantages offered by (energy saving) fluorescent lights with respect to traditional incandescent lights. For each watt (a measure of energy consumption) fluorescent lights furnish many more lumens (a measure of the quantity of light, useful for measuring the efficiency of a light bulb). Traditional light bulbs transform almost 90% of the energy consumed into heat. They produce from 17 to 23 lumens per watt whereas energy saving fluorescent lights can yield from three to four times as much in terms of light produced!
Fluorescent light bulbs are not cheap to buy, but they are much more economical in situations where the light stays on continuously for several hours a day. So they are definitely advantageous in a place like the kitchen. And the average life span of a fluorescent bulb is much longer than that of an incandescent bulb, by about ten times (9,000-10,000 hours compared to 750-1,000 hours)!
And today, the quality of the light produced by fluorescent bulbs has improved a lot, to the point where they almost perfectly reproduce the warm colors of traditional light bulbs.

source:scovoloni LINK related link on how to save power

SAVING ENERGY WITHOUT RENOUNCING DESIGN

Saving energy is a delicate subject. Saving energy not only lowers your electric bills but is the first step in reducing environmental pollution. The design world too has saving energy at heart. Some designers confronting the problem with intelligence and creativity have given birth to objects that are beautiful, functional and above all ecological.

An ecological conscience in the home
Saving Energy without Renouncing Design

"Wattson" is a small energy gauge with a big ecological heart. Wirelessly connected to a switchboard at the electric meter, and located in any room of the house (within thirty meters of the switchboard, straight through the walls), the display immediately shows the monetary value of the energy consumed at any given time by the electrical accessories of the house, including those on stand-by. The color of the light indicates the consumption trend: when consumption is high the light becomes red; when it is low, it stays blue.

To better keep tabs on your situation you can also connect the apparatus to a computer and download up to four weeks of consumption, savings and waste patterns.
The idea comes from a group of designers called (not by coincidence) DIY KYOTO, and proves that it is possible to create objects that are beautiful and at the same time respect Kyoto protocols.

Lighting your house while saving
Saving Energy without Renouncing Design

Another eco-sustainable object is proposed by the young designer Stefano Merlo, who has tried to solve the problem using alternative sources. "Energy Bucket" symbolizes the need to recreate a relationship between man and nature: the bucket-shape of this lamp metaphorically recalls the times when drinking water was hauled directly out of wells by bucket. Illumination is created by a LED inside the bucket. A series of small solar panels that cover the upper part recharge "Energy Bucket" with sunlight, which is then used to illuminate outdoor or indoor spaces.

Ecological designer heating
Saving Energy without Renouncing Design

"Calore Latente" (latent heat) is a unique radiator designed by Simone Bellan. This project, though not yet in production, unites style, function and above all, ecological responsibility. "Calore Latente" saves energy through the use of two different materials, one highly conductive and one refractory. The radiator heats up rapidly and yet releases accumulated heat slowly for a more efficient use of the radiator. Plus "Calore Latente" has a structure composed of modules that can be combined at pleasure, creating entertaining decorative compositions on the walls of your home.

source: scovoloni LINK

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Assessment of health, well-being and social connections

Strengthening the physical and social environment has been shown to support health and strengthen community action for health.

read more from the research papers link or follow this link to download the PDF