We hear about the saving and the wasting of energy all the time. It seems like we don’t actually pay attention until it affects us in the real world. Which is how this light switch helps. Peter Russo and Brendan Wypich of Stanford University developed the SmartSwitch, a light control with tactile feedback that helps you “see” how much energy is already being used, whenever you try to flick the switch.

If the total energy consumption in the house is low, the SmartSwitch is easy to flip. But if the consumption is higher, the SmartSwitch is physically harder to flip, thanks to a brake pad within the mechanism. The idea is that people will use this tactile feedback to decide if they really really need that light on or not. And it gives users a physical interaction with how much they are using.

Something interesting is happening in Germany and for once it has nothing to do with David Hasselhoff. It has to do with the fact that municipal budgets are tight. Many towns throughout the world are turning off street lights at night to save money. Saving money and electricity is awesome. But we need light when we need light. Like when old ladies are walking home.

So some German towns seem to have found a solution. Their lighting grids have been modified with a system called Dial4Light. That means that residents can use their cellphones to turn on the lights street by street. When 15 minutes passes, a timer turns the street dark again. That means less wasted energy and residents still have light.

LG just announced the launch of it’s new LG LH30FD LCD HDTV series. The LCDs will come in three sizes, 47 inch, 42 inch and 32 inches and will feature rich finishes to compliment home interiors.

The interesting thing is that they are being promoted as energy saving devices with up to 70% reduction of power consumption when using the LCD’s unique power saving modes. No other specs yet or the pricing, but they will likely hit the Korean markets first.

We first told you about Ecobee’s Smart Thermostat last October. The device claims that it will pay for it’s $385 price tag within the first 12 to 18 months of use. Now’s your chance to find out if that claim is true.

The WiFi-enabled smart thermostat, complete with ZigBee expansion slots, is now available to order from the company’s website. The cost includes the $35 access fee for first year of use. If it lives up to it’s claims, this should be a real money saver. It helps you get to know your energy usage patterns and make the necessary adjustments.

Having central heating is easy and convenient, but not very cost effective. For one thing, you’re heating rooms that are not in use. Most homes do not need every single room to be the same temperature. hat’s where this device comes in handy. The Vent-Miser Programmable Energy Saving Vent saves you money by controlling individual room temperature.

Just program the temperature you would like the room to be and Vent Miser will allow or restrict airflow to keep that specific room at the desired temperature. These electronic vents replace the vents you already have to help regulate airflow, rather then replace your current heating or cooling system.

Trickle out economics have you down? You know, Trickle out economics. When the money trickles out of your pockets because of plugged in, yet turned of appliances that are still sucking juice like a toddler building up a good diarrhea diaper bomb. TrickleStar of Hong Kong claims to have the first power-saving device in the world that is able to shave up to 12% off your monthly utility bill simply by killing standby power, while reducing a similar amount on your power usage.

The TrickleStar PC Standby Power Saver is connected to a PC via your USB port. It will keep an eye on the computer’s power status continuously. A power extension cable will connect to your power strip with the rest of all your peripherals plugged in. When your PC is turned off, the TrickleStar’s current sensing circuitry will kill off ALL power to the peripherals, and vice versa when the PC is powered. The TrickleStar will be available in January.

Ecobee’s new Smart Thermostat not only has a nice futuristic look compared to your current thermostat, but helps you save some money on your power bill. It becomes part of your home network operating via WiFi and comes with optional ZigBee expansion slots if you want to integrate it more completely.

At $385, it may take a bit of time for it to pay for itself. Ecobee says 12 to 18 months. It gets better as you get to know your energy usage patterns and make adjustments. The Ecobee Smart Thermostat ships early next year. Which is good because in this economy, it may take you some time to save up the $385.

The Spark Lamp concept by Beverly Ng is an LED lamp that you can flip over during the day to recharge itself using solar power. It’s designed to educate the owner about their power consumption. The lamp sports integrated WiFi which wirelessly keeps track of you home’s power usage. When you turn the lamp on, it will change colors and flash to tell you what your home’s power consumption is.

It’s no accident that it looks like a houseplant as a metaphor for how plants are powered by sunlight through photosynthesis. The Spark Lamp was created in reaction to the Swedish’s government response to the energy crisis. In Sweden, future homes will have smart meters that will give real-time feedback to homeowners on the internet. But data on a website is not all that engaging so the Spark lamp was developed to enhance the experience.

Objects in motion are great for making energy and since boobs bounce around a fair bit while women are exercising, what better way to charge gadgets. It would probably be made of elastic so that it gets even more motion. That’s great for onlookers and energy.

Then you would want it layered in such a way that you could insert nanowire fabric to generate electricity from motion. A small piston could even be used to get more juice. Sure, there are a bunch of obstacles to overcome, but I think it’s a worthy endeavor as we strive for more energy.

Apparently, Angstrom Power is not just working on fuel cells for MOTOSLVR L7 prototypes. The company is also touting its G2 portable fuel cell power source that will keep a whole wide range of gadgets charged. It looks like an mp3 player from a mirror universe, but I digress. This one has eight V60 Fuel Cell Modules that all together provide two watts of power. That can be used to top off any device that charges with a USB connection.

Angstrom says that the G2 itself can also be replenished “in minutes,” by using an Angstrom P2 Portable Refueling Cartridge or an R1 Refueling Station, and it can withstand “several charges” before it needs to be refueled. No word on pricing or availability, but it will likely show up before those fuel cell-powered cellphones, which seem to be on track for a release around 2010.

The Dynamo Green Keyboard is a pretty pretty interesting one. Supposedly it helps you lower your monthly power bill, but there’s one catch. You have to keep typing. That’s because it has the capability of harnessing the power of kinetic energy when typing, turning the energy into electricity, which will then help power the computer you’re using.

It’s a neat idea, but I think you would have to be a speed typer who never removes your fingers from the keys in order to get the job done. And how much would you save? I think what we have here is a cool keyboard that may or may not glow like it’s radioactive, for £59.99.

If you are concerned about how much energy you are using, but are forgetful and need some encouragement, this little switch will give you a visual representation of how much energy you are using. The switch lights up only a little when you’re not using much energy and it shines brighter when you’re wasting too much.

What with energy being invisible, it’s easy to waste more then you intend to. So a visual reminder is just the thing. Not many other details on this one for the moment. Like how much of your house this will take care of, etc. It might be good if it were vocal though, “Turn off some lights you wasteful pig. What did you buy me for if you aren’t going to listen to me.” Nagging always gets things done after all, as any married person knows.

If for some reason you feel like this rotating blue marble doesn’t have enough oxygen to suit your needs, why not get this portable oxygen bar for $729. Maybe you just want cleaner air. It’s lightweight and portable, even offers timed blasts of 10 to 30 minutes via a headset, five nose hoses and 12 mouthpiece filters.

You also get a free additional intake filter so you can have an O2 shot whenever you need a kick. The Oxygen Bar promises to increase energy, stamina, concentration and alertness as well as help with relaxation and rejuvenate athletes. It would also help your breathing in higher elevations and in cities. Basically, it’s a breath of fresh air.

The Ravi solar charger hopes to steer you toward greener living with it’s attractive flower-like design. The Ravi solar has photovoltaic arrays attached to petal extensions. The flower aspect is not just symbolic, it actually absorbs energy from the sun during the day, storing it in an internal battery. It gets some points for coolness due to the fact that the petals glow once the battery is charged. At night, you would have a kick-ass glowing garden. You would then remove the battery packs to power all of your home appliances.

The idea is that with gardens of Ravi portable solar generators in a neighborhood, enough power could be generated to supply the community, and if that can not be managed, it would at least lessen energy needs. It’s a pretty cool idea, but it has a kind of War Of The World quality that scares me.

Forget batteries or an outlet. How about a clock that is powered by any liquid? Well, almost any. You wouldn’t want it to run on urine, though I bet it would work. Once you fill it up, the LCD display will provide the time and date while it draws power from the electrons in the water.

It’s cheap at $13 and if you already have plants to water, you won’t forget to water your clock. Of course, if you have been known to kill plants, you will probably be clueless as to what time it is. Just make it easy on yourself by giving the clock a drink everytime you have one and you should be alright. I can’t figure out what the mirror finish is all about.