Cycling towards lower energy bills

If you spend the winter months on a turbo trainer (the cycling equivalent of a treadmill) or simply want to lower your home’s energy bills and carbon footprint, you may be in the market for the Pedal-a-Watt bicycle generator.

If your bicycle has a 10-inch, or larger, rear wheel, it will fit into the generator’s stand. The rest is up to you. It is claimed that with enough effort, the Pedal-a-Watt will produce 15 to 30 volts DC at up to 8 amperes – enough to power small, household appliances such as a PC, laptop, or hi-fi.

Pedal power

You can buy plans for building the generator yourself or it is available pre-assembled for around £285. Various optional extras allow the power to be converted to AC or stored in a battery. Find out more at the American distributor’s website

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “A human-powered generator puts the cost of electricity into context – it’s easy to take the ‘limitless’ power supply in our homes for granted and yet it has a significant environmental impact.”

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