Cheaper in the long run
Thirteen models designed for 2012 were released in early November 2011.
In summer 2012, my husband replaced our two old air conditioners with one of those Toshiba models. An IR blaster module and a remote control came with each unit. I gazed at the module. Why, it resembled a tiny squareshaped UFO!
After the air conditioners were installed, Koji and our son excitedly tried out the voice controller. They had fun issuing commands to the infrared module. It had 21 pre-registered functions and could recognise Japanese words such as teishi (halt), unten (start operating), atsui (hot), samui (cold), and so forth. Smart, eh?
The voice controller comprised a start button, a tiny notification light, voice recognition circuit, microphone and speaker. We activated it by pressing the start button or clapping our hands three times before mouthing our command. It provided auditory feedback through a tune and synthesized voice. It could also be commanded to switch on and off Toshiba’s televisions and LED lights.
“Mum, try it. Your wish is its command,” Ken persuaded me.
Well, I didn’t know I had to speak to it within a one-metre distance and for the orders to be operated, it had to be placed less than 7m away from the air conditioner.
“It only obeys us because we are its masters,” Koji quipped.
And guess what? It even provided entertainment. We played a “voice” janken (Japanese equivalent of the hand-game, “rock-paper-scissors”) with the voice controller.
As for the remote control, its LCD screen displayed large, clear text. The control buttons had raised letters, dots and bars (for generally used modes). It had a self-cleaning function, too.
After turning the air conditioner on, if you press the oshiete (tell) button, the screen would display the mode, percentage of humidity, density of CO2 emitted, temperature, and electricity consumption. You can compare the electricity consumption of that day with the previous day as well as the current month with the previous month.
At first, I was confused when our air conditioner indicated 21°C, while the remote control’s screen read 25°C.
Then Koji pointed out: “See the kanji for yen below “21”? It means ¥21 per minute. As the room gets cooler, the rate decreases.”
Besides that, the panels could be flipped over and swung to direct cool or hot air at different angles and areas.
At a pharmacy, I came across an interesting ceiling air conditioner that had revolving fan blades attached to help circulate hot or cool air. Ingenious! Ah, like 3-in-1 coffee, I thought.
Koji likes big, sophisticated energy-saving products whereas I prefer small, simple ones.
At a store two months ago, I was tempted to buy a two-way powered, portable mini fan. It had six harmless blades and could be plugged into a USB port.
Most power-saving stand fans nowadays have five blade propellers. Drawing inspiration from avionics, they increase the propulsion of air. As I browsed around, I almost burst out laughing when I saw a stand fan rotating upwards as if it was rolling its head!
Recently, I bought a rechargeable, portable mini fan equipped with LED lights, two speed variations, and a net for covering the plastic blades. When Koji saw my fan, he shot me a puzzled look and asked: “Do you find it useful?”
I tried to convince him. “Why not? It has dual function and can last several hours after recharging. Don’t the lit LED lights look pretty like a lighted up Ferris wheel? And oh, the shopkeeper said it can be used in the toilet, too.”
One night, I had hot flushes and couldn’t sleep, despite opening the windows. But Koji felt cold and refused to turn on the air conditioner.
That fan came in handy. I put it next to me and let its breeze soothed me to sleep. However, Koji found the whir of the fan blades a bit disturbing.
When Koji replaced our fluorescent lights and incandescent light bulbs with LED lights, I gasped at the costs. Nevertheless, he assured me that although energy-efficient products are more expensive initially, they can save consumption costs in the long run.
Sarah Mori, a Malaysian married to a Japanese, resides in Japan.