(Eco)Living with the gadgets you can’t
live without

If we mention gadgets what comes to mind? Probably MP3 players, cameras, computers, and all manner of home entertainment equipment. In fact, all those things that use lots of electricity and would seem a bit out of place in an eco-friendly home. So how can you make all those little ‘must haves’ a bit more environmentally kind?

You could take a look at the growing eco-gadget market. You won’t be able to replace all your gadgetry, but Trevor Baylis, the brains behind the wind up radio, has invented the Eco Media Player – a wind-up MP3 player that incorporates a torch and mobile phone charger.

And if you’re not willing to give up your iphone just yet, remember to unplug it when you’ve finished charging and switch off at night. According to Unpluggit, the amount of electricity wasted in the UK from phone chargers left on unnecessarily is enough to power more than 33,000 homes for a year!

The same rule applies to TVs, DVDs and computers too, make sure they are switched off when you’re not using them, and not left on standby. Or if you’re a gadget addict, why not invest in something to do the job for you – an adapter that automatically cuts the power to electrical products left on standby!

But if a wind-up gadget sounds a bit too ‘hands-on’ for you, then maybe you’d prefer to embrace the power of the sun or even water. Solar-powered chargers are available for mobile phones, cameras and MP3 players. And there are a number of clocks and calculators that will run on the water powered batteries (yes really) brought to the market in 2006 by Japanese inventor Sasumu Suzuki.

When you’ve stocked up on eco-gadgets, make sure you have sufficient home insurance cover for all your home contents. Privilege platinum home insurance policies include accidental damage cover as standard.

Get a home insurance quote from Privilege today.