As people become more aware of their environmental impact there is a growing desire to reduce our energy consumption and move closer to a net-zero energy lifestyle. Every day more people are choosing to live off-grid, installing solar panels and finding ways to reduce the amount of non-renewable resources we use in our daily lives. It is becoming an undeniable fact that humans have a drastic effect on the environment and only by lowering our energy consumption can we hope to do anything about the problem.
However, as much as we want to do something about the environment we have also become reliant on our modern conveniences that have become a part of our everyday lives. We have become reliant on the technologies and gadgets that were developed to make our lives easier. And, who can blame us? Most people don’t want to go back to washing our clothes by hand, canning and preserving all of our food, or cooking over a fire. We’re accustomed to the easy lives we have developed for ourselves, and there is no going back.
Luckily, all over the world, people are coming up with innovative, energy free designs to our favorite appliances. Creating appliances that let us continue to have an easy life while also managing to rely on forms of power other than gas or electric. Whether they run on solar, hand cranks, or simply smart design to get the job done these appliances give us the best of our modern world amenities without the reliance on non-renewable energies. Appliances such as;
– Solar ovens that harness the power of the sun using reflective surfaces to cook full meals.
– Compost toilets that do not require water or electric pumps to operate.
– Foot pedal powered washing machines that wash your clothes with less water than a traditional washing machine.
– Evaporative refrigerators that require no electricity to keep your food cool and preserved.
– Hand crank dishwashers that use less water and clean your dishes in less time than a traditional model.
Probably the greatest benefit of these new designs to old appliances is that they reduce our dependency on nonrenewable resources. Cutting out a need for electricity or gas reduces the impact we have on the environment and reduces harmful carbon emissions without sacrificing convenience. They also make it easier to switch to an off-grid lifestyle. Where it was once necessary to go back to basics to be able to power an off-grid home solely on solar or wind power, it is now possible to keep all of your modern appliances without draining your battery bank. And, if you are still not ready to completely make the jump to off grid living, by simply swapping out some of your current appliances with these energy free versions you can still reap the benefits of lower utility bills.
Energy free appliances will continue to become more popular as well as efficient, and that’s a great thing. As more people design innovative new technologies that allow us to maintain our current lifestyle while minimizing the amount of resources we consume we can begin to move towards a better future. One that doesn’t require us to choose between convenience and being environmentally conscious. We can finally have the best of both worlds.
This article is a great article-whetter (I had no idea there were hand-operated dishwashers), but it left me wanting more. Do you have a collection of manufacturers/sellers you can point us to?
A hand operated dishwasher—you fill up a plastic tub with warm soapy water from your spigot. Next you stand in front of the tub with a cloth in one hand and a dish in the other. Run the soapy wet cloth over the dish until it is clean. Rinse with more warm water either under the spigot, or in another tub with plain water, and set the dish on the side of the sink board to air dry. My husband is running our “hand-operated dishwasher” right now. He’s gotten quite good at it.
Let’s clarify terminology. These are not energy free. These derive energy from non-traditional sources, in many cases, you. You are trading the convenience of traditional energy with other forms. Whether or not that is acceptable is a personal decision but let’s avoid calling them energy free.
Of course the writer means appliances that do not require plugging in to an electrical socket.
I have a few, some I use consistently, some just for when, if ever, the grid goes down. Things i use most are:
– a mincer which clamps to the table and you wind the handle: great for meat or whatever.
– a vegetable shredder and slicer – at least 40 years old – suction cups to the bench surface and does brilliant salad shreds and slices.
– mandolin slicer – a little more gentle than the rotary one above
– hand mixer as pictured in the article – was my mother’s and must be 60 years old
One of the benefits are they are easier to clean than the electrical counterpart.
You can build one yourself. Take 2 terracotta pots, fitting in each other. Fill the few cm space in between with sand. Water the sand. Lay a wet towel over the pots and ready is your refrigerator. On you tube you can see how to make one.
I would like an evaporative refrigerator – where can I get one? Will they work in a tropical climate?
You can actually build one yourself, there are different designs to choose from and a decent amount of information available online. The Zeer Pot for example is very simple to make, and is an evaporative cooler.
It’s something I’ve looked into myself, but I’ve read that evaporative cooling doesn’t work as well in humid environments as dry ones, and humidity is definitely a factor where I live. Now this doesn’t mean it won’t work at all, just that it works better where it’s dry. If this is wrong, someone please remind me not to believe everything I read online.