Unfortunately, most eco-friendly gadgets are made for people with a lot more money than you or I, unless of course you’re Brad Pitt or Al Gore. With our current economy, most of us are more likely to trade in our car than upgrade to a windpower watch. There are, however, very cool DIY gadgets that are both refreshing and necessary, like the EnerJar.

This product helps you measure the amount of energy that appliances use in your home. Created by Matt Meshulam and Zach Dwiel, their goal is ‘that users of the power meter will gain an understanding of power draw and use this knowledge to effectively reduce their electricity use.’

The gadget is pretty simple. One end of the EnerJar is plugged into a three pronged wall outlet and the appliance (like your laptop) is plugged into the EnerJar, measuring power with better than one watt precision. The major advantage of this product is measuring electrical consumption in our appliances when they’re idle. Exactly how much energy is spent when your computer is on standby?

The makers of the EnerJar want you to become more aware of your home energy use and instead of burdening you with a price tag, they have their design free on the web. Luckily they designed their gadget with limited parts and those that are easily sourced, thus further reducing your environmental footprint.

More reading:

Enerjar: The do-it-yourself power meter

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