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DIY Energy Monitor Takes Home Green Gadget Award  E-mail
Written by Hank Green   
Thursday, 07 February 2008

We've been waiting patiently for Inhabitat to post the Awards ceremony for the Core77 Green Design Contest before letting loose the results. And now they've done it, and here it is!

The video is full of little gems of ingenuity, but those of you who don't mind being spoiled can keep reading and discover the surprise winner for yourself.

The EnerJar, an almost-steampunk DIY energy meter in a Ball Jar took home the award in a come-from-behind victory that no one was expecting. In fact, the EnerJar wasn't even selected by the panel to be in the top four.

That honor went to a gravity powered light, a crank-powered light, a rolling battery charger, and a unique system for modular cellphone batteries. The EnerJar was a last-minute addition to the finalists, and the crowd voted it to the top with a so-loud-I-had-to-take-my-headphones-off cheer.

This focus on energy use visualization is something that I like. Just like how the Prius helps drivers be more efficient by giving them a constant running total of their gas mileage, a home-energy monitor could result in a lot of electricity, carbon and money savings. Of course, for those of us who want the same thing, but in a not-so-awesome package, home energy monitors have been available for quite some time.

I personally love my kill-a-watt, and have it keeping running tabs on my computer usage as I write. Apparently the plans for the EnerJar are somewhere online, but I haven't been able to locate them yet. I'll let you know as soon as I do.


Comments (1)add
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written by Reggio , February 08, 2008
I've just found that the creators of the EnerJar have a website http://enerjar.net/ and looks like they want to fine-tune the design before releasing it publicly
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Hank Green
About the author:

Hank Green is the founder and chief geek at EcoGeek.org. Aside from being obsessed with saving the planet with technology, he loves to write and make videos. If you want to find out more about him, visit hankgreen.com

 
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