We experienced a power cut for a few hours this weekend. Luckily I remembered our wind-up radio (freeplayenergy.com) has a built-in torch. Brilliant! The lights went out just as we were starting bedtime stories, but the torch meant the children could hear the next chapter, the sad fate of TV-addict Mike Teavee in Mr Wonka's chocolate factory.

 

Some other TV addicts were probably in a right state too and sat around twiddling their thumbs instead of the remote buttons. Hopefully the lack of electronic stimuli – and all that candlelight – led to a rediscovery of romance, though not quite so easily if you're a convert to the new 'trend' of separate bedrooms. This idea is from America of course, where bloated McMansions litter the landscape, but is surely not sustainable on a rather small island, especially when we're all meant to be reducing our individual carbon footprints and our drain on natural resources. I suspect a PR plot by builders – or bed manufacturers.

 

I think his-and-hers bedrooms are also bad for your relationship. There's already a crisis of couples living together but leading separate lives – him on the PlayStation and her with her laptop or TiVo (more Sex And The City than sex in the city). If you're sleeping separately as well, what's the point? Surely it's much more eco-friendly – and marriage-friendly – to turn down the thermostat and snuggle up together every night. Of course, if you're married to a snorer, sharing a bedroom could lead to sharing a cold cell with a not-so-friendly mate (who also snores) for the next 30 years or so.

 

Wind-up appliances just seem so logical. I'm forever leaving our radio on, but now there's no green guilt about wasting all that energy or buying more batteries. A minute's winding and we're back in business. I can't wait to see this technology applied to other products. What better incentive for keeping fit than a telly hooked up to an exercise bike. Instead of slobbing out on the sofa, you'd have to contribute some muscle power now and then or you'd get your own personal power cut.

 

Electricity production in the UK is responsible for 30-40% of our carbon emissions, so a future filled with microgeneration could look bright indeed. Not too bright, thanks – that candlelight is awfully flattering!