Sensor controls the exhaust fan
Using an exhaust fan to rid a bathroom of humidity can be a tricky balance. Turn it off too soon, and you may leave behind damaging moisture. Leave it on too long, and you waste energy by sending heated or cooled air outside unnecessarily.
A new fan switch takes away the guesswork.
The DewStop switch senses condensation in the room and turns the exhaust fan on and off automatically. The wall-mounted switch also can be operated manually.
The switch works with an existing fan. It comes with a switch plate, but it can be used with any plate designed for a rocker-type light switch.
The DewStop sells for $59 at dewstop.com. A switch that controls both a fan and its built-in light is $69.
Washers and dryers that ‘talk’
Now you can let your clothes washer or dryer do the talking when maintenance issues arise.
Kenmore has equipped some of its new laundry appliances with technology that sends data over the phone to a service center. You just dial a toll-free number, hold the mouthpiece close to the machine and press a button to activate the transmission.
The information helps the service representative diagnose the problem and might even eliminate the need for an in-home visit, the company says.
The technology, called Kenmore Connect, is available on select Kenmore and Kenmore Elite washers and dryers. The diagnostic service is free for the life of the appliance.
Bulbs shed light on creative design
British manufacturer Hulger has put an imaginative twist on compact fluorescent light bulbs.
The company recently introduced Plumen 001, an artful take on the spiral-shape bulb. Unlike more common CFLs that people try to hide, “Plumen 001 is a bulb you’ll want on show,” Hulger says on the Web site Plumen.com.
The name comes from plume, a feather intended to attract attention.
The energy-saving bulb is available only in Europe, but the site promises U.S. sales are coming soon. The company’s Flickr site (flickr.com/photos/plumen) shows more designs in the works.
Art comes at a price, however. The Plumen 001 sells for $31 to $39.
