Inhabitat

POWER HOG: Piggybank Power Meter Keeps the Change

Looking for a fun way to teach energy conservation to your kids? Check out the Power Hog, an adorably pig-shaped power monitor that introduces kids to energy efficiency (and general thriftiness) by piggybacking upon the familiar format of the piggy bank. You need to plop a coin in the Power-Piggy to activate electricity flow, so kids can use their allowance to turn on the TV or video games by feeding the Power-Hog with loose change. We know that any kid over age five will probably just unplug Mr. Piggy as soon as they figure out the hitch, but we still think its a lovely design concept nonetheless. The Power-Hog is one of our favorite finalists from the Greener Gadgets Design Competition, so if you like what you see here, check out more of the green gadget goodness on display (and vote for your favorites) at GreenerGadgets.com >

3 Responses to “POWER HOG: Piggybank Power Meter Keeps the Change”

bearsong Says:

February 11th, 2009 at 5:57 pm

Interesting idea, not positive that it is the best use of resources. What goes into making it? Plastic? Where is the metal in the wires sourced from? Is it non-toxic? Recyclable?

What features does it offer other than novelty? Does it provide a read out of power usage?

Jill Fehrenbacher Says:

February 11th, 2009 at 9:51 pm

Hey Bearsong – click on the ‘READ MORE’ link and read the post. ‘The Power Hog is made from recycled PET bottles’ Of course the power meter provides a read out of power usage -it is a power meter. All your questions are answered in the post.

-Jill
Editor, Inhabitat.com

bearsong Says:

February 12th, 2009 at 7:37 am

Ah ha! I thought that the above post was the full post, I didn’t realize that it was just a synopsis of an Inhabitots post. I did carefully read the above paragraph,

“Looking for a fun way to teach energy conservation to your kids? Check out the Power Hog, an adorably pig-shaped power monitor that introduces kids to energy efficiency (and general thriftiness) by piggybacking upon the familiar format of the piggy bank. You need to plop a coin in the Power-Piggy to activate electricity flow, so kids can use their allowance to turn on the TV or video games by feeding the Power-Hog with loose change. We know that any kid over age five will probably just unplug Mr. Piggy as soon as they figure out the hitch, but we still think its a lovely design concept nonetheless. The Power-Hog is one of our favorite finalists from the Greener Gadgets Design Competition, so if you like what you see here, check out more of the green gadget goodness on display (and vote for your favorites) at GreenerGadgets.com >”

This does not mention the answers to my above questions. I did not read the text and links surrounding the paragraph, and this is where I would have learned that there was more info elsewhere. Please remember that was has become familiar and obvious to you may not be to your readers! e.g. Page layout and design and presentation of information. Also remember that tone does not always translate well via electronic media, so I am not sure how to interpret your tone, which right now I would at best call “snappy.” Thanks for answering my questions nonetheless!

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

Please note that gratuitous links to your site are viewed as spam and may result in removed comments.