Self-programmable thermostat Nest can lower your heating and cooling bills by 20 percent. It does this by learning your preferences and automatically adjusting the temperature.
You treat it like a normal thermostat, turning it up when you're cold and turning it down when you're hot. It learns your temperature setting patterns, can sense the weather, and will automatically change the temperature when you're out of the house.
It was designed by Tony Fadell, who worked on some of Apple's most popular products, like the iPod and iPhone.
Eyeglasses have lenses that darken and lighten according to the light. Now, windows can do that, too.
The RavenWindow is a smart window for homes and office buildings that reflects the sun's heat. When it's hot, it darkens and blocks heat. When it's cool, it lightens and lets the sun in. It saves up to 30 percent on bills, without using any electricity itself.
To most people, going green in the bathroom typically means a toilet that uses less water. But to Toto, it means a toilet that gets rid of toilet paper.
The Toto Washlet is a toilet and bidet in one. By cleansing you with water, it reduces the need for toilet paper.
CeeLite Technologies has created a flat and flexible light bulb.
It uses energy-efficient "light emitting capacitor" (LEC) technology and can turn any surface, flat or curved, into a light source.
It might also give you a warm, fuzzy feeling to know that CeeLite moved its manufacturing facilities out of Taiwan and into the U.S. in 2011. Its light panels are made in a suburb of Philadelphia.
It's not enough to eliminate incandescent bulbs from your home in favor of more energy efficient varieties like CFLs and LEDs. The smartest homes can control their light bulbs via smartphones.
A new wave of Wi-Fi bulbs hit the market recently, including GreenWave Reality's Connected Lighting Solution and the Philips Hue LED bulbs, sold through Apple. Hue is really cool. The bulbs display white light and a number of other colors, controlled through an iPhone app.
The humble power outlet is getting smarter. Smart plugs are devices that you plug into your outlets. You then plug your appliance into the smart plug, which helps reduce your energy bills.
Smart plugs ratchet down energy consumption when an appliance is in standby mode. Some of them add fancy features, too, like letting you control your appliances remotely, over the Internet.
Examples include ThinkEco's Modlet and the Digi XBee Smart Plug.
SmartThings connects everyday objects to the Internet to make them smarter.
That means that anything that can be plugged in, turned on, opened or shut, or moved around, can be monitored with the SmartThings platform. Doors, windows, appliances, your dog, you name it; it's all turned into an app for your smartphone.
SmartThings started as an uber-popular Kickstarter project raising $1.2 million in September.
There's a new way to do home networks besides Wi-Fi. It goes by a bunch of names: G.hn, Gigabit home networking, and HomeGrid.
It creates very high speed in-home networks using existing household wires from phone lines and cable TV.
Not only is it a faster alternative to Wi-Fi for streaming music and videos, but power companies plan to use it for Smart Grid applications to help manage a home's power use.
Most solar panels today rely on petroleum to produce the film that collects energy. But Bio Solar is working on a panel made from plant materials like cotton and castor beans.
This would make the production of solar panels more earth-friendly. Plus, if a panel breaks, it can be safely thrown away.
Fast-growing bamboo has quickly become the eco-friendly alternative for hardwood floors, but did you know it also produces super soft, moisture-wicking clothes?
That makes it an ideal green, renewable fiber to produce underwear like bras and socks. Clothing manufacturers like EcoDesignz already offer a full line of bamboo undergarments.
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