In short, smart glass or electric tint is basically a coating on your glass (glazing if you will) that reacts to an electrical current. When there is no current, the glass is opaque but when you hit the switch it’s perfectly transparent.

Simple! ;)

Why is it so cool? Well for starters you won’t need curtains ever again! Second, just imagine how jealous your friends and neighbors will be when they see how your windows “white-out” with a flick of a switch! Instant privacy.

Smart glass technologies are electrochromic devices, suspended particle devices, and liquid crystal devices. I know that doesn’t mean much to you (me neither) but there are slight differences between them and the way they block UV rays and the Sun’s heat.

Smart glass (or switchable glass) is often used for skylights where it can be most useful since using or cleaning any type of blind on a skylight can be rather difficult and frustrating.

Even though the technology behind it is pretty old, these systems can still be quite expensive (although not so expensive that they prevent ordinary people from owning them). I’m not sure if there are any well known companies (Nation wide chains, etc.) selling or installing these systems but if you know of one please don’t hesitate to leave a comment for the rest of us! (don’t spam though, one link per electric tint company is enough)

Picture from takatuka

Although it looks like a stylish seat cushion, it’s actually much more. Yes, this is a USB seat warmer!

Just in time for winter, from a company called Thanko. All you do is plug it into the nearest USB port and you’ve got heat. There’s even an on/off switch and a temperature control, so you don’t overdo it. Not a bad idea really, even if only for the novelty. I’m sure you’d be the only one to have such a thing and making your friends and neighbors jealous can be fun sometimes.

I’m not sure how much it costs but you can visit the website that sells it here.

A while ago (February I think) I wrote a bit about wood pellet stoves as they are becoming more and more popular in Europe & the USA and so with winter coming (already here actually) I’ve decided to write up a little more on the subject. Hopefully if you haven’t already heard about or seen wood pellet stoves (or wood pellet furnaces), this post will spark your curiosity.

Wood pellet stoves which are most commonly found in the USA/Canada are typically very ugly, somewhat inefficient and well, very ugly! Not to say there aren’t nice looking models, there probably are… but even a diligent search on Google or Yahoo! will reveal mostly homely models available in North America.

If you’re looking for sexy style and high efficiency, look to Italy. The Italians have been making wood pellet furnaces for years and quite frankly, they’ve come closer to perfecting it than anyone else (in my opinion anyway). Italian wood pellet stoves (furnaces) are hot! (yah, bad joke, I know)…

The Italian wood pellet furnaces can found in different forms:

• stand alone furnace (industrial look, basement install)
• stand alone furnace (sexy look for living rooms, etc.)
• fireplace
• firebox (in wall fireplace installation)
• wood pellet stove with cook top

Italian wood pellet furnaces use small pellets (like the others) that can be loaded into the unit’s hopper, usually about 30kg (approx. 66 lbs) capacity and the unit will automatically feed these pellets into the combustion chamber. Most (if not all) furnaces will have a thermostat built in to regulate room temperature so there should be no need to install external hardware, you just plop it into place and start heating! They are the ultimate in convenience, good looks, great heat and cheap/efficient heat.

The good European models (unlike many of the US models) have extremely high efficiency, similar to a gas furnace (I think upwards of 95%, but don’t quote me on it). The pellets are usually made of wood or biomass so it’s pretty green when you think about it… no fossil fuels, renewable fuel source and the high efficiency means that most of the energy is used and there is only a small amount of exhaust. In fact, the exhaust is usually like those of gas furnaces and doesn’t require a chimney.

Most wood pellet furnaces nowadays have considerably large hoppers and allow you to fill them with up to 30 kg or more of wood pellets. What does this mean? Well for starters, you can easily heat your home for a period of 24 hours without having to worry about refilling the hopper. Not only that, but most modern wood pellet furnaces and stoves can pull up to three or four days without the need for cleaning out the ash tray.

This can be one of the most convenient forms of heating that one can come by. Most modern wood pellet furnaces can be found with very elegant and stylish forms to match just about any interior setting. By choosing this form of heating you are not relying on local utilities such as electricity or gas. This can be a lifesaver for those of us who live in remote locations where such utilities are not available in any reliable form.

A wood pellet furnace is very similar to a wood pellet stove except that often times they are designed to either become part of a modern décor, work to be hidden away a unit basement or garage setting. There are many different manufacturers and models of wood pellets furnaces, but I prefer to reference the various Italian makes. This is simply because they are beautiful and functional, as well as affordable.

The efficiency rating of modern wood pellet furnaces is a very high indeed. So high in fact, that they will rival any modern gas or electric furnace on the market. Keeping this in mind, a wood pellet furnace can make an excellent heat source for just about any type of installation.

Underfloor heating is a fantastic thing and something I personally recommend to any and all homeowners who are in the position to install such a system. The comfortable and even heat provided by underfloor heating is unlike any other form of heating for your home. The beautiful part about this is the constant mild temperatures of your floors providing you with the quietest, most aesthetically pleasing form of heating your money can buy.

Care should be taken when installing such a system or when choosing a professional that will be doing the installation of your underfloor heating system for you. The systems aren’t particularly complicated, well they don’t have to be anyway, but if you’re not careful the installation can become a major headache and the finished product will be more of a problem than a solution.

I will not go through a detailed explanation of how one is to choose or install an underfloor heating in this article, rather I will provide you with a basic overview and a few things to consider about your own installation. More details and a step-by-step type of guide will be made available in a separate article on this site.

The basic idea with underfloor heating is to the first laid down a layer of insulation (usually Styrofoam) on the raw flooring surface onto which a network of heating pipes (in the case of a hot water system) or heating elements (in the case of an electric system) is to be laid. This is then encased in concrete or a mortar bed that will accept the final flooring surface.

The initial base insulation is a very very important step that many people choose to skip for one reason or another (usually because of costs or lack of knowledge). When this insulating layer is overlooked there is no way to concentrate the heat from the underfloor heating elements and most of the heat will escape into the slab.

Controlling heating zones throughout your home is usually done with a system of hot water pumps and manifolds to control which mini systems within your main system are getting a fresh supply of hot water and which ones are simply maintaining their temperature.

In a short time I will be writing the full article on underfloor heating systems. So if you’re looking for a much more detailed explanation of what goes on in this type of installation, keep your eyes on this website!

If you’re trying to remodel your home or apartment in a more modern style and wish to retain your current fireplace you’ll probably have to be satisfied with just a facelift. Sometimes of course you might not even be able to get this done properly. Not all fireplaces are created equal and because of the simple fact you might want to consider placing the whole thing with the new unit.

When choosing a new modern style fireplace you have the benefit of a wide selection of styles and prices. Modern fireplaces can be found in natural stone, metal, brick and many other interesting finishes. The prices range from several hundred to several thousand dollars and basically you get what you pay for, so it’s always worth investing whatever you can into this upgrade.

Of course it would be wise to consult with the professional installer to figure out exactly what you’ll have to be looking for in your new unit. There’s nothing more frustrating than searching high and low for that perfect fireplace only to find that it can’t be installed in your home or flat because of a certain technical or size restriction that you’ve overlooked… not to mention the loss of thousands of dollars to deal with!

So when looking for a new fireplace for your modern décor remember that it’s important and beneficial to you to do your homework. Figure out what you need, what you want, what you’re willing to spend and then go out and get the perfect fireplace.