To save energy, money, see list in magazine

To save energy, money, see list in magazine

This month’s edition of Consumer Reports features 68 products and tips that can help you save energy and money.

Articles include choosing efficient products, 25 ways to save, an investigation into Energy Star’s standards, light bulbs and tankless water heaters.

Additional resources offer information on credit-card comparisons to help you determine if you’re paying too much; hybrid cars; and lab-test results on cell phones, TVs, small fridges, cordless phones, digital cameras and vacuums.

Also noteworthy is the magazine’s redesign, which has a more simplified palette, newly organized sections, updated ratings with new icons for best buys and recommended products, among other new sections.

Automatic litter box cleans up after itself

PetNovations advertises its Cat-Genie litter box as being just like a cat: self-cleaning.

The CatGenie goes a step beyond cat boxes that rake waste mechanically. This one also flushes away waste and washes and sanitizes the granules that substitute for litter.

The device can be set up in a bathroom, laundry room or utility room. It needs to be connected to a waterline and either a toilet or a waste drain.

It’s available in two packages priced at $297 and $369, including shipping. Sanitizing solution costs $14.99 for a single package, with discounts for bigger orders. Granules are $23.99 for a 3.5-pound box.

The product can be ordered at www.catgenie.com or (888) 735-3927.

Salvaging old stuff? Book offers some ideas

Finding a new purpose for old items isn’t easy. And the possibilities aren’t always obvious.

“The Salvage Studio: Sustainable Home Comforts to Organize, Entertain, and Inspire” (Skipstone; $21.95; paperback) by Amy Duncan, Lisa Hilderbrand and Beth Evans-Ramos offers a wealth of options.

From an old Scrabble board turned place mat to a towel rack made from a salvaged tool caddy, the book is a compilation of items from the authors’ Washington-based studio.

You’ll find helpful tips on restructuring decor; organizing your home; and finding items at junk stores, estate sales, thrift shops and trash bins.

New guide on kitchens includes interactive DVD

Sunset Books’ new “Kitchens: A Sunset Design Guide” shepherds you all the way from dreaming about a new kitchen to putting the plans on paper.

The book offers design ideas; information on materials and elements such as fixtures and appliances; and lots of helpful tidbits. Interviews with some of the architects whose kitchens are featured in the book allow you to pick their brains vicariously.

The book comes with an interactive DVD that lets you create kitchen designs and see them in 3-D.

Kitchens is one of a series of new design guides from Sunset. Kitchens and Bathrooms were published this month; Patio & Stone and Backyards will follow this winter.

Combined dispatches