Go green with eco-friendly gadgets

If you have been sufficiently convinced that you need to look at green options, here are some gadgets that you could begin with:

APPLE MACBOOK AIR (Price: Rs 60,900)

Specs: 11.6-inch display; 1.4 GHzCore2Duo processor; 64 GB storage; 2 GBRAM; NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphicsprocessor; Mac OS; 1.06 kg

Replace your traditional desktop or theold laptop with this sleek and slim note-book from Apple. The MacBook Air has not only earned EPA's Energy Star qualifi-cation but has fewer toxins as compared to other laptops. It is brominated flameretardant, mercury and polyvinyl chloridefree and uses mercury free backlighting and arsenic-free glass for the display. It is made up of aluminium, can be recycled and reused.

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DULUX WEATHERSHIELD PAINT (Price: Rs 3,400 onwards for 20 litre)

Paint technology has produced products that reduce the temperature of your walls and provide a comfortable environment indoors in the hot season. The Dulux WeatherShield paint is a heat-reflect exterior paint that has the ability to repel up to 90 per cent of IR rays. The colour lock technology makes the wall pigment last longer and even prevents the growth of fungus and algae.

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FCML LAUFEN WC (Price on request)

A green home doesn't only involve saving electricity or installing BEE-rated energy efficient gadgets. With our natural resources depleting, it's high time we thought about conserving water as well. Where regular WCs consume close to six litres of water for every flush, this wall mount bathroom fitting consumes just 3-4 litres. Hence, every time you flush, you will be saving close to 2 precious litres of water.

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FENESTA WINDOWS (Price: Rs 500 per sq ft onwards)

Having big windows as a source of natural light cuts down the expenses on lighting solutions during day time. But scoring over the traditional wood and aluminium windows, Fenesta Windows are made of UPVC (recyclable material) and can withstand UV rays without discolouring or fading. It not only prevents energy loss but also saves energy by maintaining the temperature and bringing down the air conditioning cost. And they are noise, dust and monsoon proof.

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PHILIPS DYNALITE (Price on request)

The Dynalite from Philips acts as a complete solution for controlling lighting, security, motorised blinds and curtains, climate control and many more equipments. These multi-function sensors can detect motion in a room and accordingly adjust the level of artificial light. Compatible with LEDs, CFLs, halogens, tube lights, GLS bulbs of various makes, the intelligence unit is installed behind the interface board. Operated via remote control, there are dedicated mobile applications for Java and iOS that can help you control the lights from a distant location as well. Tip: The cost on installation involves consultation charges as well.

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HAVELLS GERO (Price: Rs 8000)

Specs:15-litre; White, ivory,brown; Heating indicator lamp; BEE 5-Star rating; 24 hour hotwater capacity

If you are looking for quick heating of water and less consumption of energy, check out Havells Gero. This BEE 5-star rated electric water heater has high density CFC free, PUF insulation that saves over 45 per cent energy. With the high precision thermostat and multi functional safety valve, it can even keep water hot for 24 hours while consuming half a unit electricity. Gero is available in 15 and 25 litre capacities.

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HITACHI SUMMER QC (Price: Rs 23,990)

Specs: 5-Star BEE rated; 1.1 ton; Silent cooling; Alarm function; Filter clean indicator, dry mode.

Come summers and we all rely on our dear air conditioners to maintain a comfortable temperature in our homes. So why not use one that provides effective cooling and is energy efficient aswell. Hitachi's Summer QC is a 5-star rated Window AC available in capacities of 1.1 ton onwards and is powered by a DC Fan motor technology which efficiently reduces noise as well as the power consumption. The auto power save mode automatically selects the comfort temperature for the room and maintains it at about 25 degree Celsius with a suitable fan speed.

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LG 32LE5500 (Price: Rs 53,490)

Specs: 32-inch LED, 1HDMI, 2 USB; 1080p; 130 W power consumption.

LED TVs consume 20-30 per cent less power than regular plasmas and LCDs. They also offer a better contrast ratio and have a longer life, and are mercury-free. While it consumes 130W when in use, it expends less than 1 W when on standby mode. The Spot control feature further enhances the energy savings as it automatically adjusts the dimming level of the local pixels.

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LG MP 9889FCR (Price: Rs 26,690)

Although BEE hasn't formulated standards for microwaves yet, this solar Dome microwave cooks food up to four times faster than any conventional microwave oven. It uses radiant heat and halogenlight-the light wave technology combines with a unique round cavity for quick cooking.

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MIELE KFN 9753ID (Price: Rs 1,99,990)

Specs: 262 litre capacity; Energy consumption per 100 litres usable space: 0.29 Kwh per day; CFC and HFC free; touch controls.

What is unique about this refrigerator from Miele is its A+ Energy Star rating under international energy efficiency standards. This makes it approximately 20 per cent more efficient A- Star rated one. It is expensive but has separate compressors for the freezer and refrigerating compartment. The refrigerator unit can be turned off separately.

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ORIENT ENERGY SAVER FAN

Look beyond the regular fans. Orient has launched BEE 5-star rated energy-saving fans. Designed aerodynamically with wider blades, it is powered by an efficient motor that consumes 48 watts and can even operate at low voltage. With an approximate saving of 35 percent energy, one can actually use up to 13 units of electricity less per month.

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PHILIPS LED (Price: Rs 649 onwards)

From incandescent lamps we moved to CFLs and now it's time to switch over to LEDs because the amount of energy saved is huge. A 5W LED bulb offers up to 80 percent of savings in comparison to incandescent bulbs and, depending on the design of the optics and luminaire of the LED, can be up to 2 times more efficient than a CFL. Available in 5W, white and yellow colour with 250 lumens, a7W LED bulb with 350 lumens will be launched soon. With an expected lifecycle of 15 years, it is only the illumination or brightness that will depreciate. Above all, they don't emit any harmful radiations or ultra-voilet rays.

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PORTRONICS EMERGENCY CHARGER (Price: Rs 1,100)

This emergency charger is a two-in-one device. Along with being a portable charger that is capable of charging any-devices independently, it is also an LED torch with a 2200 mAh rechargeable Li-ion battery. Once charged using a USB connection, the gadget can stored for emergency use in the future. Weighing 90 gm, it comes with connectors that can charge any device like cellphones, music players, iPods, gaming consoles, etc. It even has 4-stage charge indication levels.

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PORTRONICS GREEN LOCK (Price: Rs 1,400)

Specs: 2.4 GHZ frequency radio transceiver; 5 m coverage area; Automatic lock and sleep mode activation.

How often we walk away from our PC without shutting it down. Only later do we we realise that putting it in sleep mode could have saved wastage of power. Specially designed for such situations, the Green Lock by Portronics automatically locks the screen and put it in the sleep mode whenever you walk away from the system. Similarly, it unlocks and wakes up the system in 3 -5 seconds whenever you are back. Since it operates on 2.4 GHz radio technology, a USB dongle needs to be connected to the USB slot, with the user carrying a small green clip that facilitates the operation.

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PORTRONICS SCANNY 2 (Price: Rs 6,999)

Specs: Scanning width: 8.27 inch; auto power off 3 mins;300/600 dpi imaging.

If you cannot get away from scanning documents and the energy consumed by the machines, in a small office, you can replace the power-hungry scanners with this portable scanner, the Scanny 2. Capable of scanning documents and images in 300 and 600 dpi, it can scan a full A4 sheets, cards, photographs, business cards, etc, within 3 seconds. With multiple power source, including AA batteries and AC power, it supports up to 32 GB memorycard and the data can be transferred by simply connecting the scanner to the PC using a USB cable.

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SOLAR GENERATOR (Price: Rs 21,400)

In most places in our country, we have an abundance of sunlight. Hence you can consider replacing your generator or inverter with a solar powered one. This 300 Watt generator comes with a solar panel, and can be used to power aTV, 2 CFL tubes and a fan for up to four hours. The plug sockets added to the generator can be used to connect other devices such as chargers. These generators are available in different capacities of up to 1500 Watts.

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SONY ERICSSON HAZEL (Price: Rs 9,999)

Specs: 2.6-inch display; 5 MP camera; 280 MB; Memory expandable up to16 GB ; GPRS, EDGE, Wi-Fi;120 gm; 1000 mAh Li-ionbattery.

With the huge number of mobiles floating in the market and manufacturers only talking about recycling programs, there aren't many options as far as eco-friendly handsets go. But the Sony Ericsson Hazel is made up of recycled plastic made from water bottles and old CDs. Its charger is not only energy efficient but has a standby power-loss less than 30 mW. If the charger is plugged into a socket and the phone is not connected or becomes fully charged, the charger stops consuming electricity.

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VIDEOCON DIGI DOLPHIN DLX (Price: Rs 20,590)

Specs: BEE 5 Star; 7 kg wash capacity; 390 W rated power consumption; Silver colour; Child lock; Memory backup.

Be it front loading or top loading, washing machines are a must have in every household. But the amount of electricity and water consumed by them is high. Hence, BEE is now looking beyond air conditioners, refrigerators and fans and has introduced a BEE label program for washing machines too. Although the rating is voluntary as of now, Videocon has introduced India's first BEE-rated washing machine. This Digi Dolphin Dlx saves up to 30 percent electricity and comes with features such as nine wash programs, delaystart, auto soak and child lock, etc.

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