But first maybe we should talk about why these gadgets are so important. Anyone paying their electricity bill knows that energy is a big expense. In fact, Australian households are directly responsible for approximately one fifth of all of our Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

It’s estimated the average Australian household generates seven tonnes of Greenhouse Gas Emissions every year, hammering our planet and our bank accounts.

Vampire Power

It’s often the tiny, unnoticed issues that will get us in the end. This rings true for energy consumption. The energy trickle, or “vampire power” is our home’s silent killer.

Most of us think we’re doing the right thing by turning off the lights and TV when we exit a room. What we don’t realise is that even when we turn electronics off, they’re usually still in standby mode which means they’re draining electricity and pumping up our power bills even when we’re not using them.

Vampire power sucks a staggering billion dollars a year from Australian residents, and accounts for nearly 10% of our energy consumption.

Fortunately we have a simple and streamlined option that will save your power without any inconvenience of having to reset electronics everytime you want to use them. Using smart plugs and smart power boards can have a major impact on your consumption.

For instance, the Trickle Saver senses when your electronics are in standby mode and automatically deactivates the current to that outlet, which puts an end to the standby power drain. It also senses when you want to use the device again and automatically switches the circuit back on. It does all of this without interfering with other electronics still in use.

Smart Thermostats

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We can’t talk about eco-friendly homes and tech gadgets without mentioning smart thermostats. We introduced you to Nest, Google’s smart thermostat, in our last piece, and it’s a truly great option. But as the technology advances, competition in the marketplace grows which is great news for us consumers. The prices are coming down as functionality and usability gets better.

One of the best smart thermostats is new kid on the block, Ecobee. While the company is a savvy startup, its CEO says its function is not to take on the various tech behemoths like Google, but to focus on what it does best while giving users the ability to integrate its product with the technology they use every day.

The newest model comes with Amazon’s Alexa voice control already integrated into the system but it also works with Apple HomeKit, Google Home and Samsung SmartThing. It has a sleek touch screen interface that can be operated from home or from a smart device and it boasts remote sensors that ensure every room in your home is being heated or cooled to your desired temperature.

Smart thermostats are a great way to go whether you want to closely monitor your energy consumption, or manage where and when different zones of your home are either heated or cooled.

As many Aussies jump onto the renovation trend, we’re seeing an increase of homes that maintain their heritage, usually in the front. Our vintage homes were typically designed to keep the home cool during the summer months, but 100 years ago there was less of a focus on keeping the home warm during the winter months. Smart thermostats can solve this problem by pushing heat to the front of the home in the winter months, maintaining a comfortable temperature in whatever room you move to.

Let’s Talk Lighting

Sustainability in the home has really gained traction in the past decade or so. Initially swapping out lights for energy efficient LED bulbs was rightfully one of the first things people did to green up their spaces. LED lights have many benefits including longevity and low energy consumption–25,000 hours of use compared 1,000 hours from an incandescent bulb.

Unlike their outdated halogen counterparts, LEDs do not generate a lot of heat. This means you can put them near plants and other sensitive materials without risk of damage. By swapping your halogen bulbs to LED, Co2 pollution is cut by a remarkable 40%.

But let’s face it, LEDs weren’t always the prettiest. They often had a weird swirly design and emitted a cool, bluish hue. Fortunately, those days are gone. Now you can have your energy efficiency and your ambiance too! Lighting designers are making their creations integrated for LED use, and they give off a warm glow like their older counterparts. For places that still need to be brightly lit, LED covers those spaces too. We no longer need to rely on those terrible fluorescent bulbs, chock-full of mercury, to illuminate our spaces. LEDs aren’t full of toxic chemicals, and since they rarely need replacing, you don’t have to worry about them piling up in landfills. A win-win for eco-friendly home appliances!

Solar Water Heating

Finally, another large energy suck is our hot water. How bad is it, you ask? Conventional water heating accounts for 25% of Australian household energy use.

Installing a Thermodynamic hot water system could end a lot of our water heating woes. Solahart, the Western Australian solar company that got its renewable start back in 1953, pioneered commercialised solar hot water and has sold over a million of the systems in 70 countries.

As the cost of power is on the rise, solar water heating is a superior alternative. It cuts water heating power consumption by 50-90%. While there may be many reasons to cut down on hot showers (like protecting our water as well as our skin and hair from drying out!) water heating doesn’t have to be one of them.

All In One Place

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With all these smart gadgets, you may or may not feel like you need a central hub to control them all. Many items come with integrated Wi-Fi, so there’s no need to connect them to a hub in order to control them remotely from a smart device. Others may be bluetooth enabled, making the need for a smart hub more paramount.

If you go down the smarthub route, the Samsung SmartThings Hub might be your best bet. It works with most smart home devices and it has a super added benefit of a backup battery that most hubs do not.

It’s no secret that we love the Samsung Frame here at Designbx. It solves so many design challenges that we face with integrating TVs into a beautiful aesthetic. The frame comes with its own stand-alone smart tech perks, including having the Samsung SmartThings technology integrated into it, which means one less thing to plug into your router.

Call In The Pros

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If all of this seems like a bit too much for you to set up your eco-friendly home appliances alone, don’t be afraid to call in the professionals to do it for you. If you’re in the NSW area, Home Automation Specialist could help you out. They’ve synced smart spaces all over the area, from residential to commercial to  offices. You can rest assured that your home will keep all of its charm without turning into something out of a Sci-Fi movie, unless of course, that’s what you want.

Krista Collard is the founder and principle of Sustainable Staging and is a writer and designer for Designbx. She has worked in media and communications for environmental advocacy groups 350.org Australia and the Sierra Club in the US and continues to advocate for all things sustainable.  

The post Gadget guide – how to make your home eco-friendly appeared first on Designbx.

Well, you may love us or hate us for spilling the beans on this, but we’ve discovered some completely covetable tech gadgets that will have you questioning how you ever lived without them.

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Who could forget that hilarious scene from the classic 90s comedy, Clueless, when Cher invites her new (and unbeknownst to her, gay) crush over to her house for a romantic night in? She has the perfect makeup, “baked” bread, and a lighting plan to die for.

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More than 20 years later, most of us still have Cher-level lighting goals and fortunately for us, now they’re completely attainable. Enter the Phillips Hue bulbs. These things are amazing and, wait for it…completely controllable from your smart phone. No expensive dimmers or electricians required.

“Lighting is one of the most important parts of a well-designed home but it is not usually the first thing on a homeowner’s To-Do list,” says Designbx interior designer Elise Finnerty.

“I love that you can customise your lighting from your mobile or smart device. No
more installing dimmers and lighting controls because it can all be done wirelessly with these smart bulbs.

“You can set your lights to turn on and off from anywhere in the world. Play with tone, contrast, white light and a spectrum of colour to create your ideal lighting mood,” adds Finnerty.

There you have it. Go forth. Get your lighting game on.

That’s a TV?!
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Interior designers and binge watchers everywhere can rejoice. We finally have a solution to the age-old conundrum: how to prevent the television being the most dominant feature in a room (even if it is the real reason we spend so much time there. Shhh.)

Bless their hearts, other electronic companies have tried to solve the problem before but none have hit the mark the way Samsung has with The Frame. Instead of going black like traditional televisions, The Frame uses sensor technology to turn on art when someone is in the room and turns it off to save energy once it senses the room is empty.

“Samsung is releasing a real masterpiece,” says Designbx interior designer, Kylie Monteleone. “The Frame is unlike any other conventional television and offers exciting design and artful features alike.

“The ‘Invisible Connection’ and ‘No-Gap wall mount’ makes it a breeze to integrate the TV in most areas of the home. It also transforms into a customisable digital art display with over 100 art pieces to choose from, displaying the most suitable design and or colour for your space.”

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Does anyone else shudder at the memory of the old days when even the most basic devices couldn’t talk to each other? My computer’s incessant “problem communicating with the printer” back in 2006 still haunts me. But fret no more friends. Google Home is here and it…means… business…!

Powered by Google Assistant, you can ask it questions and get an immediate response (and not the Hey, Siri kind either). According to its website, Google Home connects seamlessly with smart devices like Chromecast, Nest and Philips Hue, so you can use your voice to set the perfect temperature or turn down the lights.

“You can Ask it questions and tell it to do things,” Finnerty explains. “And with support for multiple users, it can distinguish your voice from others in your home, making it easy for the device to switch between each family member for a truly personalised experience.”

“You can play music, control the TV, turn the lights on or off, set alarms and ask about the weather or your trip to work.”

“It’s a great addition to your home because it helps to simplify our busy lifestyles. It integrates all of your smart devices and you simply operate anything connected by saying “Hey, Google”. You can even personalise the colour of the speaker to suit your home. Less juggling and more time enjoying your life.”

Although Google Home is not currently available for purchase in Australia yet, it can be purchased and shipped from the US, and is fully functional here.

Which futuristic creature comfort will you choose?

Remember to always consider your lifestyle when selecting your mod cons. It’s easy to get excited about the technology and the obvious cool factor, but which one will be of lasting value? For the less organised among us, Google Home may be a godsend, while people who have mastered the art of scheduling may have time to appreciate The Frame. Either way, get used to this wonderful technological decadence. We predict every home will eventually feature these gadgets.
Now check out 5 gadgets to get you through the working week!

The post New Home Tech Gadgets You Didn’t Know You Needed Until Now – You’re Welcome! appeared first on Designbx.

Monday calls for a helping hand. The feeling of a Monday is a shared familiarity amongst those with early wake-up calls. Alarm clocks simply don’t suffice anymore. As our lethargy grows, we rely on caffeine and anything else that makes the Monday morning wake-up bearable.

Designer Oliver Sha has created the IQ Alarm, with the tag line “wake up smarter”. Defying the ordinary conventions of t he alarm clock, the IQ Alarm features a sleek design with a revolutionary touchscreen interface, oozing elegance and style. Appearances aside, it’s how you navigate the alarm clock that impresses us the most.

The IQ Alarm can only be snoozed if you answer an IQ-related question. Your wake up call will sound, and keep sounding until you put your mind to use. For those thinking they can cheat the design, forget it. “Don’t don’t even think about pressing the power button or removing the battery,” Oliver warns.“The power button needs to be pressed and held for 30 seconds and the battery is designed to be tedious to remove.” It’s the alarm clock we’re going to love to hate.

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Tuesday calls for organisational maintenance. Organisation helps us set a routine and feel regimented; a small sense of accomplishment within our busy work week. One of the downsides to our reliance on technology is an abundance of cords and wires, disrupting our clean space.

A step towards detoxing your space fits investing in the Morphie Juice Pack Wireless Battery Case by Apple. While complete wireless charging is a few years away, Apple have taken steps towards meeting consumer demands by introducing a charging pad. Say no more to replacing faulty charging cords, as this gadget simply involves placing the phone onto the sleek, non-intrusive pad which can sit tucked away in the bedside table drawer or neatly on top.Image Reference

Wednesday. Hump day. Halfway through your working week. This day calls for a little pick-me-up. The Amazon Echo will serve as your personal helper, assisting you via voice control. With 360 degree omni-directional audio, the Amazon Echo will let you rock out to your favourite jams shamelessly anywhere in your home.

Don’t be fooled, however; it’s more than just a wireless speaker. The Amazon Echo is able to answer your questions and seek out information online to relay it back to you using the Alexa Voice Service. It’s also compatible with devices already in the home such as lights, fans, garage doors and sprinklers, to name a few. Let Alexa ease your mid-week blues by being at your beck and call.

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It’s the last chance to get your life in order before the weekend. Your work week is almost over. Abiding by the organisational theme, what better way to prepare for the weekend than to do a quick clean? Understandably, energy levels are low, as is the ol’ motivation, but fear not. Technology to the rescue, once more. The iRobot Roomba 880 Robotic Vacuum Cleaner will relieve the burden of tending to your floors.

It’s as simple as turning it on and letting it work its cleaning magic. Allow its sensors to navigate the nooks and crannies of your home, without having to lift a finger. It’s small size and non-intrusive design allows it to make its way around your home without obstructing you. The built-in system allows the vacuum cleaner to comprehensively and thoroughly clean each room before moving onto the next.Image Reference

Friday is here, folks! Arguably the best day of the week. Now it’s time to match the best day of the week with the best tech gadget I’ve sourced. It’s oddly satisfying and intriguing. The Duo Home AI Computer presents itself as a mirror, before stunning its viewers with its intellectual skills.

It’s fully voice-operated and responsive, with the capability to source answers, news, videos and music via the Internet. 27 inches of sleek luxuriousness which sits subtly on any wall of your choice. Its responsiveness to voice commands is incredibly appealing, as is its simple and elegant interface.

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Designbx has a professional commercial interior design team that can assist with creating the perfect office space for customers and your team. 

Now check out new home tech gadgets you need now!

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