Energy Crunching Granola

I recently installed the Granola energy management software to my netbook just to see if it would eek out some extended battery life time. Initial results  look good and battery time has indeed been increased with no apparent effect on perceived speed or response.

Granola is available for linux and Windows desktops. It can also be deployed on VMware ESXi. It is free for personal use but has a very small cost licence which makes available much more detailed energy controls and monitoring options when deployed across many computers at the same address. Power saving results can be tracked over time via an online account which records your power usage data.

Available desktop stats are displayed in a slightly generalised way with preferences available to show annual or cumulative energy savings.

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Eco Kettle That Makes A 3 Second Cuppa

Yet another way to make a cup of tea. This slightly pricey but innovative kettle and water filter solution brings the water to near boiling point in around 3 seconds and claims to be eco friendly into the bargain.

The makers, Tefal claim the new kettle will save an average household around £30 a year in energy costs and is a 65% energy consumption reduction compared to a normal style kettle. The dispenser can equally produce cold filtered water too.

A flash video of how it works can be seen here.

Update: Aside from Currys, both Argos and Morrisons now sell this though the price point remains the same (UK).