by: The Design blog, 2012-03-10 13:11:43 UTC
Christina Pinto:
The concept:
The environmental movement is the need of the hour to conserve energy. If every household did its duty of energy conservation, then humanity will see a substantial decrease in energy expenditure and dependency on non-renewable sources. Energy conservation technology is the way to go! Sharp is developing an advanced Home Energy Management System to monitor and control consumer electronics. The system outlines a visual representation of the amount of power consumed by electronics individually and as a whole in the home. Each electronic device can also be controlled by a tablet or smartphone via wireless connection.
Sharp HEMS
The inspiration:
The increasing awareness of energy conservation is prompting people to buy energy saving devices. However, unless you have a clear understanding of your home’s energy consumption, splurging on energy saving devices will be a wasted effort. This is where Sharp’s technological developments enter to clear all doubts.
Sharp HEMS visualizing smart energy monitoring of consumer electronics
The usability:
The Home Management System to be sold commercially includes five units and a router, and is capable of connecting up to 30 units. For example, the system measures power consumed by TV and relays the data to the tablet, informing the homeowner the number of watts the TV is functioning on. Same can be done for other electronics. So the homeowner has a comprehensive idea of the total power consumption of the electronics in his home.
Moreover, you can adjust the settings of the device to alter the power consumption and verify results via your tablet. To reduce energy consumption by activating the LED’s controls, select “LED” on the tablet to adjust the tone and brightness of the LED lights. View the tablet screen to check how your command affected the power consumption.
Currently, the system is compatible with Sharp’s electronics as they have a built-in receiver for the remote control. However, plans are underway to make the system operable with other manufacturers’ products as well.
What’s hot?
The system can supervise the total energy consumption in your home. All you have to do is connect it to the main power source. It can even work with electric vehicles.
Sharp HEMSSharp HEMS visualizing smart energy monitoring of consumer electronics
Related trends:
1. Wilting Flowers
Wilting Flowers
Wilting Flowers, designed by Carl Smith, are wirelessly connected to the main electricity source and act as a detector of the energy consumption in your household. Most attractive feature is the way the plant alters its state to mimic the effects of pollution and global warming on real plants by changing its color and shape. If your home is adhering to energy conservation regulations, the flowers stand tall and bright. And if energy wastage is high, expect a drooping flower with a negative color.
2. Intelligent energy monitoring device
Intelligent energy monitoring device
Designer Pedro Rodrigues created an ingenious multifunctional energy recording device. It not only keeps track of energy usage by your appliances, but also eliminates energy wasters. An appliance on standby and not in use but sucking power is automatically shut down. The device’s high-end micro-controller keeps a check on the power consumption of various appliances and electronics by using an analysis system. The system is based on an artificial intelligence algorithm that helps the micro-controller receive energy consumption statistics.
3. EnergyMate
EnergyMate
Stuart James Sharples designed this device to check measurable utilities like gas, water and energy statistics of your house. Homeowners install sensors throughout the home that send signals to a wireless display unit, which shows consumed energy in form of graphics and figures. To make the sensors work you just have to plug in the product to the appliance sensor. The lighting sensor is fixed between the light socket and the bulb, and the ultrasonic sensor placed in pipes marks gas or water flow. Heat sensors attached to radiators with in-built magnets monitor the heat and send the information to the display.
4. O.E.I – Egg-shaped device
O.E.I
Designer Rocco Avallone will encourage you to conserve energy with his enchanting egg shaped energy monitor. The O.E.I is presented as a touchscreen light switch that depicts energy consumption in different graphics and formats. Through radio signals and connection to the existing power grid, you gain feedback on the wattage of power you are using based on the number of occupants and size of the house. Also, the community tracker lets you compare your energy use with your neighbors.
Ingo Maurer is a German light designer best known for his cute Birdie Lights, but for his latest project, he joined forces with Architects Paper to develop a glowing wallpaper piece. Made from a large electronic circuit board printed on paper, this geometric LED Wallpaper changes its colors from white to blue to red, and you can choose the design it illuminates. Innovative, playful, and eco-friendly, this fantastic design will give any lifeless walls a bright new look.
Housed within 55,000 glaciers in the Himalaya Mountains sits 40 percent of the world’s fresh water. The massive ice sheets are melting faster due to climate change, posing possible dire consequences for Asia, especially for the villages and cities that sit on the seven rivers fed from the Himalayas. The Himalaya Water Tower is a skyscraper located high in the mountain range that serves to store water and helps regulate its dispersal to the land below as the mountains’ natural supplies dry up.
The skyscraper, which can be replicated en masse, will collect water during the rainy season, purify it, freeze it into ice and store it for future use. The water distribution schedule will evolve with the needs of residents below.
The lower part of the Himalaya Water tower is comprised of six stem-like pipes that curve and wind together and collect and store water. Like the stem of a plant, these pipes grow strong as they absorb their maximum water capacity. In each of the six stems, a core tube is flanked by levels of cells, which hold the water. The upper part of the building – the part that is visible above the snow line – is used for frozen storage. Four massive cores support steel cylindrical frames that, like the stems below, hold levels that radiate out, creating four steel tubes filled with ice. In between the two sections are mechanical systems that help freeze the water when the climatic conditions aren’t able to do so, purify the water and regulate the distribution of water and ice throughout the structure.
At the bottom of the structure, surrounding the six intertwined water tubes is a transport system that regulates fresh water distribution to the towns and cities below. The curving channels connect the mountains to the villages, and are also hold within them a railway for the transport of people and goods.
by: Environmental Leader, 2012-03-09 15:00:45 UTC Henkel, the company behind Dial, Purex, Right Guard and other personal care brands, reduced its energy consumption by over nine percent from 2010 to 2011, according to the company’s 2011 sustainability report. In 2011, the German multinational used 2.2 million MWh of energy compared to 2.4 million in the previous year. At the same time, [...]
by: The Design blog, 2012-03-09 11:59:09 UTC
Shallu Sharma:
A survey made by Nature (Journal) revealed that about 80 percent of the world’s population lives in areas prone to water security threats. These water security threats if not treated on time can pose serious problems for human beings and nature as well. Various strategies are being employed to save water and drinking fountain by Eliel Cabrera is a similar step in the same direction.
The YBR_drinking fountain has been designed and integrated with the philosophy of the original project as a part of the YBR design range. It’s a cost-effective project with simple design crafted using minimal material. The body has been created using cast iron and painted with black forge Oxiron and phosphatizing primer for imparting anti-oxidant properties. The fountain combined with YBR sewer grate makes a complete set.
The fountain comes with the mechanism that gets activated by a button that controls water consumption. To save water, the mechanism automatically cut down the water supply after few seconds even if you had pressed the button. To reuse the fountain you just need to press the button again.
The fountain comes with 1000mm extension above the ground level and 100mm below the ground for fixing it firmly. The grating rest crafted in metal encase go well with the pavement. This creative design if implemented correctly can prove a great help to save water for tomorrow.
The international target to halve the number of people who do not have access to safe drinking water has been met, five years before the 2015 deadline, the UN announced on today (6 March).
When the European Commission launched an investigation early this year into possible price fixing by French water utilities, the move added ammunition to campaign groups that oppose privatisation of a vital public resource.
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