We’ve all heard the terms: carbon footprint, carbon off-setting, carbon neutral… but how many of us actually know what our carbon footprint is? More to the point, how on earth do we go about reducing it.

That’s where AlertMe’s new carbon footprint tool comes in. The company has developed a nifty new widget that allows you to measure your carbon output and convert it into examples (and costs) that you actually understand.

For example, a daily spin of the tumble dryer generates about 300kg of CO2, which is equivalent to driving from Glasgow to Brighton and back.
Not only that - it also costs you about £100 in electricity a year. So not only do you ‘get it’, you’ve also got the power to reduce it.

Features

• Know how much carbon dioxide your home creates.
  Calculate your home’s carbon footprint and find ways to drive this down.
  Monitor your CO2 usage over time and spot trends to help reduce your footprint.

Benefits

• Convert kgs of carbon into something you can understand, like miles travelled, plane trips, plastic bags used or gallons of petrol.
  Reduce your carbon emissions and make your home more environmentally friendly.
  See how your carbon footprint compares to the UK average.

The Carbon Trust estimates that the average UK home energy usage generates 1.37 tonnes of carbon per year, that’s 1370 kg of carbon.
How do you compare? Is your carbon footprint high, low, about average?

Now with Carbon Footprint, you can see at a glance how your carbon emissions compare to the national average and take steps to reduce your impact on the environment.

What’s your carbon footprint? Find out now by visiting the AlertMe website.

The VPhase voltage optimisation device, which enables households to cut energy costs immediately, without changing their electricity suppliers or lifestyles, has demonstrated energy savings of between 8.5% and 9.0% in its social housing trial with Great Places Housing Group.

VPhase plc has released the independently analysed results from the trial, confirming the substantial energy and carbon emission savings that can be achieved by fitting a VPhase unit.

The trial revealed potential yearly CO2; savings of up to 180kg per property, the equivalent of driving over 1,000km in an average car.

Matthew Harrison, deputy chief executive and director of development at Great Places Housing Group comments: “These results are very encouraging and we will now look at the viability of installing VPhase units in more of our houses.”

The low-cost VPhase unit uses voltage optimisation technology, something that has been saving large companies £millions each year, yet this is the first time the technology has become available on a domestic scale.

It works by reducing and managing the incoming voltage into the home, to ensure a wide range of appliances around the home use less electricity and cost less to run.

Installation of a VPhase will have an immediate effect on energy bills for UK homes with typical savings of around 10% per year.

VPhase Voltage Optimisation Device – How it works:

• Incoming voltage to properties in the UK varies and is normally higher than necessary – typically around 245V.
• Household appliances are designed to operate within the statutory range (207V to 253V) therefore many are more efficient and use less electricity at a much lower voltage.
• A VPhase unit will reduce and regulate the voltage to an operationally efficient level of 220V, eliminating over-voltage, which is a costly and an unnecessary waste of energy.
• The amount of energy saved is device specific and depends on incoming voltage.

VPhase CEO Dr Lee Juby states,“The beauty of the VPhase unit is that people can continue to enjoy all the benefits of a growing range of home appliances, whilst remaining kind to the environment and their pocket.

The VPhase unit fits next to a fuse box and is simple to install by a qualified electrician.

Each VPhase unit is priced at £299 (including VAT & Delivery).

For more information about the VPhase Voltage Optimisation Device, visit  the VPhase website.

Tel: (0845) 003 8235

Energenie, the manufacturer of automatic standby shutdown technologies, are now offering a new range of energy saving products for the home.

Energenie provides an easy way of cutting the amount of energy used in the homes, saving money on electricity bills, saving energy and reducing the risk of fires caused by electrical appliances.

Without doubt, Britain’s consumers have become increasingly aware of green issues in recent years; however, there are still those who are not convinced.

Energenie makes it easy and achievable to help the planet, be safer in your home and to save money.

Alan J. Tadd, Managing Director, Energenie, commented: “We’re about converting these non-believers into people who are taking action. They might not be environmentally driven, but everyone wants to be safe in their homes and for electrical appliances to be convenient and to save money.

Our new range enables all of these aims and we want to show UK consumers just how easy it is to take action.”

Energenie’s products for the home include:

Automatic Standby Shutdown for Home Entertainment - With one socket reserved for appliances that need to remain constantly on, this device will learn the standby power level of your home entertainment system and switch it off automatically when it is put into standby.

Automatic Standby Plug Adapter for TVs - Leaving a TV, DVD player, computer monitor and other electrical appliances on standby can waste up to 70% of the energy consumed by the appliances; this device will switch it off automatically when it is put into standby.

Radio controlled socket - Ideal for hard to reach plugs, or for people who have restricted mobility. It is 13amp rated and can be used with any UK domestic appliance.

Automatic Standby Shutdown - There are more than 80 million TVs in Britain, with most of them left constantly on standby; this device switches TVs and other electrical appliances off after 30 minutes of inactivity.

Energy Power Saving Meter - Discover which appliances are the worst offenders in your household for wasting the most electricity.
Find out how much appliances are costing in terms of money and their carbon footprint.

Energenie is recommended and certified by the Energy Saving Trust.

To view all of Energenie’s range of products for the home and the office, visit their website.

Prodigy™ is a new line of home control products from Crestron, the market leader in home entertainment and automation systems now available in the UK.

Prodigy is a simple to install, easy to use, and an exceptionally affordable solution that does not require any special wiring, programming or expensive custom installation.

Prodigy home automation solutions include home cinema, audio distribution, lighting and climate control; backed by Crestron quality, expertise and support, Prodigy is inexpensive control without compromise.

Crestron is installed in more homes worldwide than any other brand, and brings years of experience and success to this latest line of home technology.

A very simple residential solution, Prodigy delivers the power, flexibility and reliability of Crestron, to more people and more homes than ever before.

According to Robin van Meeuwen, Managing Director of Crestron UK, “Prodigy gives our dealers the opportunity to expand their market to provide home control for every lifestyle and budget. Now virtually any homeowner can enjoy the benefits of affordable and reliable home automation.”

Prodigy is scalable, so the system can be expanded easily. Start with a simple home theatre; then add whole house audio, lighting and climate control, even remote control from laptops and mobile devices. Control interfaces also include touchpanels, handheld remotes, and wireless keypads:

• Easy to set up; there’s no system design or expensive installation.

• Prodigy Composer guides you through a few simple steps, using basic drop down menus and check boxes.

• The software provides all the logic and creates touchscreen interfaces automatically in the background.

• The wizard is intuitive, so anyone can get a system up and running in minutes without any training.

In our picture is the Crestron V-Panel - the industry’s only full 1080p high definition touchpanel that can function as both a control interface and flat panel HD display.

For more information and case studies visit the Crestron website.

Tel: (0845) 873 8787

Yes – boiling water is like watching paint dry, it’s boring and wastes time and water, not to mention the kitchen counter space taken up by a kettle – but this is all about to change with the launch of GROHE Red® in June 2010.

Whether it’s a quick cup of tea, peeling vegetables. or sterilising baby bottles and washing greasy pans, we need boiling water for many uses.

The GROHE Red® is the perfect tool for every busy modern day kitchen. Consisting of a tap and a boiler (4 or 8 litre versions available), this ingenious appliance supplies piping hot water at the twist of a lever.

Two GROHE Red® versions are available:

• The smaller, Mono, only supplies hot water and is the perfect complement to the recently launched GROHE Blue® filter water tap.

• The larger version Duo, provides both boiling as well as normal hot and cold water from one tap.

• For households with children, GROHE Red® has been designed with an innovative two step pull-and-turn safety handle, which eliminates the risk of scalding and ultimately gives parents peace of mind.

• GROHE Red® also helps save water and energy – rather than boiling excess water in a kettle, it allows you to fill the exact quantity needed for any given purpose.

So gone are the days of the kettle - It’s time to move into the 21st century and save time, energy and money, by choosing to have boiling water straight from the tap. Priced from £900 RRP.

For more information please visit the GROHE website.

Tel: (0871) 200 3414.

Door security systems are becoming increasingly popular and are proving to be especially useful for elderly or disabled people, providing both security and peace of mind.

Types of Door Access Systems - There is a wide choice of access control systems available from cheap DIY devices, to the more complex hard- wired door security systems.

Video Systems - This type allows visual confirmation of visitors and remote door access into a property, giving both security and calm to the occupants.

Intelligent Home’s Touch Screen Video Door Entry Systems.

Intelligent Home supplies a complete range of home door access systems, to suit many requirements. Their most popular system is:

The IH-692 Touch Screen Video Door Entry DUO System, which comprises:

• One Master Touch Screen 7” LCD monitor with SD card slot records short video clips or pictures on SD card 2GB + 1 x slave monitor. Dimensions of monitor: W223  x H160 x D25mm.

• OSD (on screen) menu selection: adjust volume, colour, brightness, scene mode, change ring-tone etc.

• SD card memory to store colour images with date and time. Video clip or picture are taken automatically when someone rings the bell or can be taken manually at any time.

• Loud speaker with 15 different ring tones.

• Allows you to check outside and talk to people outside at any time you wish to, even if no one rings the bell.

• Connect direct audio handset (no separate power supply needed)

• Connect up to 2 doorbell cameras or one doorbell plus one CCTV camera direct • Connect up to 4 doorbell cameras and/or CCTV cameras with an additional 4 way switcher

• Open 2 electric locks independently with an additional RLC or control of electric lock and a light with an RLC • Intercom function among all monitors in the system • Brushed aluminium face plate • Mounting type: surface mount.

To complete the system you need to add at least one doorbell camera and one power supply; choose from five different doorbell cameras - three flush mount and two surface mount.

There are three choices of power supply: An individual power adaptor, a multi power transformer for up to 2 monitors and a multi power transformer for up to 5 monitors.

You will also need 4-core shielded alarm cable for connection distances up to 30 metres between monitor and doorbell camera.

To view the whole range of access systems on offer, visit the Intelligent Home website.

Features of home automation systems such as the Comfort Intelligent Home System from Cytech Europe, can provide a major input to the Lifetime Homes Standard, as well as to Assistive Living and the homebuilding industry’s targets for Sustainable Homes, in line with the new mandatory regulations.

Benefits offered by the Comfort System include:

• Interactive Voice Menu that can operate in any of nine languages allows Comfort to be controlled from any remote or home telephone. The real time status of the lights and appliances can be announced so you can check before switching anything on or off.

• Reminder Messages and Voice Announcements Triggered by Events: Comfort can be set to play back recorded reminder messages on talking keypads, or the telephone to remind the user to take medicine, for example, as a wake-up call, or to warn if any motion is detected in the home.

• Dial Out to Alert Carers: Comfort dials out to carers or family members, if there is no activity in the home for a longer than usual period of time. The carer can talk to the person in the house via any of the keypads. An emergency button on the keypad can force a dial out to the carer or family member.

• Conditional Logic Programming; Comfort’s extensive Logic Programming capabilities allow conditions to be tested up in order to determine the actions to be taken; for example, after dark, and the doorbell is pressed, switch on outside lights and play an announcement, or greeting message on the door station, and announce on the keypad that a visitor is at the door.

• Intercom: Comfort’s talking keypads communicate with other keypads around the home and with the door station.

• Home Security: The range of Comfort door stations including those with a camera, let the person at home speak with the visitor and also see them before opening the door. The door can be opened via any phone or keypad in the house.

• Heating, Lighting, Appliances, Curtains, Blinds can all be monitored and controlled by Comfort to help with energy-saving, home security and convenience.

For further information visit:

Web: http://www.cytech-europe.co.uk

French technology company Withings has announced the availability of its WiFi Body Scale in the UK.

Withings has combined sleek design and technology, to transform a regular bathroom scale into an accurate health monitoring system.

The world’s first WiFi connected personal weight scale that automatically records the user’s body weight, lean and fat mass, and calculated body mass index (BMI) to his/her secure web-page.

In addition, a free Withings iPhone application, WiScale enables people to follow their body weight, lean and fat mass on their smart phone.

With its extra-flat black and steel design, the scale is an ideal bathroom accessory.

Jam-packed with technology, while still remaining very simple to use, the scale is available now on the Withings website priced at 129 euros or £119.

“We strive to bring innovation, design and technology to everyday objects through a wireless connection to the Internet and we feel the WiFi Body Scale truly delivers on all fronts,” said Cedric Hutchings, Withings General Manager.

By using bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA), the scale calculates the user’s body fat composition, and displays it in actual weight instead of a percentage of fat in the body; this allows for more accurate tracking, because it avoids the daily weight fluctuations, due to things like water gain or loss.

The scale is the perfect tool and a useful motivator, for anyone concerned about their health and interested in monitoring the benefits and progress of their diet and exercise plan.

It’s also useful for tracking the entire family’s health progress, with its multi-user function.
The scale automatically recognizes up to 8 users the moment they step on the scale and adds the stats to their individual online tracking graphs.

With the convenience this scale provides, users don’t have to lift a finger to get their daily stats - just step on the scale then check your progress report instantly on the web, or on your free WiScale iPhone application.

The Scale measures: 0.90 inches/23 mm | 12X12 glass slab/ 32×32 cm.
Display: 62 X 40 mm with high white contrast lighting.

Visit the Withings website for more information.

  UK-based company and connected home provider Intamac Systems, has launched two new connected home applications – for monitoring and controlling home security, energy management, home automation and telecare through the internet and cell phones – at 2010 International CES, the world’s largest consumer electronics show:

The Intamac iPhone application, is an innovative interface, which allows full two-way control, live video, messaging and reporting from the home.
Connecting directly to the subscriber’s Intamac account, the app will be available to download from the Apple store during the first quarter of 2010.

Also on show for the first time is The Intamac iBridge, an interface device, which enables third-party communicating products to be connected via broadband to the Intamac Platform, allowing end-user customers to monitor and control these products remotely through their web-enabled Intamac account.

This enables Intamac’s home automation service My Control to be activated, which includes applications such as automatically powering down non-essential devices, locking doors and setting alarms when leaving the home – and powering up, unlocking and disarming the home when returning.

The Intamac iBridge features full two-way support of Zigbee and Zwave devices.
Once connected to the home router, it automatically connects to the Intamac platform for self - install and ease of use.

“The Intamac platform has the flexibility to take data in any format and from any device, to enable service providers and utilities to offer value-added services such as security, energy management, automation and telecare,” said Kevin Meagher, CEO, Intamac Systems.

“Our support of technologies such as iPhone, Zigbee and Zwave demonstrates our commitment to support the most popular standards and devices to give consumers the greatest choice, and our partners the maximum flexibility.”

For more information about these exciting new products, visit the Intamac website.

Tel: (0870) 111 7234

Sound and Vision company DSE Digital, recently completed a multi-room installation in one of the finest new-build properties in Newcastle upon Tyne.

The stunning, contemporary house features all the luxuries and technologies you would expect in a house of the future – plus a few more, including an Aquavision waterproof television in the bathroom.

The owners of this chic home required security that could be accessed from anywhere in the world, discrete lighting with mood control, music throughout the house and a home cinema / games room.

Once this was achieved, they decided they wanted the added luxury of a television they could watch whilst soaking in the bath.

The 17” Aquavision in our picture is connected to Sky and has multi-room sound so the owners can listen to music, watch television or a DVD, which is distributed via a computer server to the bathroom.
The built in magic eye also allows the SKY and DVD to be controlled from the bath.

Aquavision has now launched the world’s first full HD Waterproof television -

• The S4 HD 40” in –wall / waterproof television features the RS232 control port, making it compatible with the likes of Crestron, AMX, iLight and Systemline, therefore enabling it to be controlled from a compatible touch panel anywhere in the home.

• The new model incorporates a true, full High Definition (1920 x 1080) LCD panel that delivers exceptional picture performance.

• Two remote controls (one master and one waterproof) are provided with the new waterproof television and a hard wired control panel is available to fix on the wall.

• The S4 HD 40” is available in the Mirrorvision finish, so that when the television is off, the glass becomes a mirror that is perfect for shaving, make-up etc.

For more information please visit the Aquavision website.

Tel: (01992) 708333