As the country faces power shortages and the threat of blackouts extending into the summer, consumers are going to be more conscious than ever about purchasing energy efficient products. Here's a roundup of the latest technologies on sale:
GreenFan2: Electric fans are going to be an obvious option for those wanting to do their bit and cut down on energy consumption as the weather heats up. Balmuda, who makes this fan, has gone one better by designing an electric fan that is significantly lower on energy consumption than conventional electric fans. Its twin blade system is designed to circulate air more effectively around the room than traditional fans. While typical fans use around 30W, the energy consumption of the GreenFan2 can be as low as 3W and on its strongest setting, it doesn't exceed 17W. That means your entire yearly electric bill for the fan can cost only ¥192, compared to ¥38,000 you might consume with an air-conditioning unit. However, considering the GreenFan will set you back ¥34,800, you'll only really be making savings the next year.
Eco Cute hot water heaters: Toshiba's ESTIA heat pump hit the market at the end of last month. The ESTIA is just one of a long line of energy-efficient Eco Cute heat pumps that have been released onto the Japanese market in recent years. The units extract heat from the air, which it then converts into energy for heating water with. For every unit of electrical energy it uses, it extracts two units of energy from the ambient air temperature, consuming 66 percent less energy than a conventional water heater. Best of all some Eco Cute units can store hot water during blackouts. Though, like the GreenFan2, they're more expensive than conventional water heaters, users tend to make the money back in electricity bill savings.