From the land of heated toilet seats and neckties with built-in cooling systems, a fresh focus. We were pleasantly surprised this week when reports from Japan's Ceatec conference (the Land of the Rising Sun's annual consumer electronics expo) indicated that that country has a new rising star: energy efficiency. From the looks of it, in fact, this year's Ceatec could have been called the Ceatec Energy Efficiency Conference and Expo 2009. As GreenTech Media reports, the event was chock-full of super-efficient new technologies - from new inexpensive, dimmable LED lights to a washing machine that senses how dirty your laundry is and adjusts water and energy consumption accordingly, uber-efficient OLEDs in just about everything; and televisions that aren't just bigger and better, but use less energy (Hitachi has released an LCD model that runs on just 32 watts, or half the power requirement of a standard light bulb!).
Energy efficiency, as we've said time and time again, is truly the way of the future, in more ways than one. It's by far the most cost-effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; it makes economic sense, particularly in a time of uncertain energy costs; and it's easy, fun, and cost-effective; and to boot, as it turns out, it's big in Japan.
Looks like efficiency is getting even easier, and cooler, by the minute. Still, no sense waiting around for the next big washing machine: start hacking your house today with energy efficient lighting, programmable thermostats, smart strips, low flow water gear and the rest of the super neat, super practical goods in our store.
Looks like efficiency is getting even easier, and cooler, by the minute. Still, no sense waiting around for the next big washing machine: start hacking your house today with energy efficient lighting, programmable thermostats, smart strips, low flow water gear and the rest of the super neat, super practical goods in our store.
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