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I HAVE A SECRET TO TELL
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For those who have children with resident closet-monsters, or simply want to avoid the toe-stubbing pain of negotiating the midnight visit to the little room, a night-light is an essential and useful accessory. We have been through a variety of them in the past, with varying degrees of success. Most were the plug-in variety with changeable light bulbs and themed covers, but they often did not last very long, protruded too far from the wall, or didn't give off the right amount of light (too bright or too dim). Another issue was the fact that they tended to remain on all night (and usually all day by default) slowly helping to tick up an ever increasing energy bill.

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FROM MY ELECTRICAL WELL
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As such, I was most intrigued to discover the "Moonlight" from Ecozone, the same folks who developed Ecoballs and Magnoloo (www.ecozone.com). It was different to anything else I had seen before, and, true to its name, it boasted impressive eco-credentials and the promise of significant energy savings (we usually have three night-lights on at any given time). What makes this product different is that instead of a conventional bulb, it uses an LED panel that never needs to be replaced. The product is based on technology developed by NASA to light-up cockpit panels, hence its on-packaging claim of "space age technology".

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IT'S A SIMPLE MESSAGE
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The Moonlight emits a soft, greenish glow that paradoxically manages to be fairly bright but diffused enough not to penetrate your eyelids when you close your eyes. That makes it very practical for kid's bedrooms, hallways, or anywhere else that needs to be lighted discretely at night. Its only limitation is that it can't be used in potentially wet or humid areas (i.e. outdoors or in bathrooms). It is extremely energy efficient, with the manufacturer claiming it will cost between 0.5p and 1p a day (depending on your electricity tariff) - a rate of around 2.3 Kilowatt hours per year. By comparison, a standard 7 Watt night-light runs at 61 Kilowatts hours per year. That makes for some impressive looking maths.

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AND I'M LEAVING OUT
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The panel itself is modern-looking and very thin - about the thickness of an iPhone - and does not extrude much, blending in well with standard white socket plates. The other advantage is that the LE panel is cool to the touch, and doesn't emit heat that can burn inquisitive little hands like standard bulbs can. Given how slim and durable it is (i.e. no bulb to break) it can be easily packed for travelling and has proved a godsend to us in hotel rooms while taking the little ones on holiday. We currently have our infant son in our room and use the Moonlight to do nappy changes and feeds at night without having to fumble in the dark or turn any of the main lights on.

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THE WHISTLES & BELLS*
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At around £9-10 (currently available from a variety of on-line outlets such as Amazon and Ocado, and on the High Street at Lakeland) it is not exactly cheap, but it will pay for itself in the long-run. Ecozone, who are a UK based business founded in 1997 - are confident enough in their product to offer a 3 year guarantee - they replace it free during that period if it fails for any reason (provided it has not been damaged or misused). From their literature, the product is clearly intended to be usable 24 hours a day for the full three year period. We have now used our first two for over a year, and ordered a third in March. The product is very useful, durable and has given us hassle-free service so far.

Highly recommended.

© Hishyeness 2011 (*with a tip of the hat to TMBG for the paragraph headings)