Sust-it’s pedal power helps power TV house experiment

Posted by Ross Lammas

Scheduled to go out tonight (8pm – 9pm BBC 1), in the run up to the Climate Summit in Copenhagen, the Bang Goes the Theory Special TV Event will be showing how much electricity we use and abuse without even thinking about it. This massive experiment attempts to power a house for an entire day solely through human pedal power – while the unsuspecting family inside go about their normal Sunday routine. Will they be driven to meltdown?

Can 80 cyclists power a house for a day?

We received a call from a TV producer who’d come across sust-it whilst looking into the power consumption of old tube TVs and new flat screen ones. As sust-it ranks electricals and appliances by energy efficiency, it was easy to show him the massive differences in the power used by new TV’s. A few phone calls later and Ross found himself admitting to being a cyclist, and had somehow agreed to take part in the TV experiment, together with his son Olly and his friend Nat.

Apple Mac mini pips some very PC PC’s in sust-it’s eco energy charts

Posted by Ross Lammas

Apple’s Mac mini has shot to the top of our energy efficiency charts for computers. Having been slated by Greenpeace in 2006, when they launched their “Green my Apple Campaign” Apple has responded by making their products more recyclable, removing toxic materials and now proving that they can make fast and energy efficiency computers too.

There’s a staggering difference between the energy consumption of computers in the marketplace; you could save nearly £150 per year on electricity in choosing the most efficient models. Sust-it has been highlighting these savings through our unique ranking system and it’s great news that Apple has responded to the environmental issues, I hope other manufacturers will follow their lead.

California to turnoff power-hungry TVs

Posted by Ross Lammas

A massive 10% of home energy bills in California is used by inefficient TVs. The California Energy Commission will require that all new television sets up to 58 inches (147cm) be more energy efficient by 2011, consuming 33% less energy than current models. With new technologies such as LEDs and Laser tellies becoming available, it should not be difficult for the manufactures to respond.

Is it not time that the UK and EU took the same action to help us all save money and reduce our energy consumption?

Sust-it offers more green choices!

Posted by Ross Lammas

We are delighted to announce that, sust-it can now provide consumers with a greater understanding about how our purchasing decisions effect the environment, sust-it has taken over the reigns of Green Choices a website dedicated to providing simple, direct information on green alternatives which make a real, lasting difference.

Green Choices was set up in 2001 by a group of individuals passionate about making information on green issues and green products more widely available, the site has a wealth of knowledge on green lifestyles and on climate change, and we will be working hard to keep information up to date and relevant. The site links well with sust-it’s vision to help people save money at the same time as helping the environment. We want green products to be cost effective options, it shouldn’t cost more to save the planet.

Freeview retune creates more landfill!

Posted by Ross Lammas

I’ve just retuned our Freeview set-top box as instructed and yes we can’t get channel five anymore! A quick visit to the Freeview website, when it’s working, and I find a message – Owners of affected digital boxes are advised to replace them with a product carrying the “digital tick”. Why should I have buy yet more stuff and create yet more waste? I don’t want to upgrade a perfectly good Freeview box (until 30th September) and my television is not HD. And if I did want high definition television I would get Freesat TV anyway. Are Freeview expecting consumers to rush out and buy a new Freeview box with the aforementioned “digital tick” then only to discover that they won’t even be able to receive HD when it does arrive on Freeview?!

And what if – like my dad – you’ve never had call to use the internet, what do you do then? Rush out to your local retailer and get talked into buying a TV that is far too big for your front room, with a worst picture than your old tube telly and uses far more electricity – progress!

PS Finally after four retunes my Freeview digibox starts working again!