An Orlando, Fla., company, Hydromatic Technologies, has been drawing blogosphere attention this week for what seems like a no-brainer, why-didn't-anyone-do-this-years-ago development for the clothes dryer, one of the home's worst energy hogs. It is so power-mad, in fact, that Energy Star doesn't list a single one.

According to the company, and described here, here and a bunch of other places, the typical clothes dryer heats air to 1,000 degrees F to get the dryer temperature up to 155. The need for this high temp is why more than 15,000 dryer fires occur annually. Meanwhile, of course, dryers are typically 220-volt machines.

What the company's $300 Dryer Miser does heat an oil instead of the air directly, which requires less energy to reach temperature and holds the energy longer. Dryers with this function can be 110-volt, the company says. It claims it will not only use half the energy, but will work 40 percent faster.