Egloo is a clever little terracotta heater that harnesses the power of tealights to heat spaces up to 20 square feet for as little as 10 cents a day, without using any electricity.

Developed by Marco Zagaria, a student at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, Egloo is both cheap to use and eco-friendly. Made up of two small terracotta domes and a metal tray, the device takes advantage of the natural heating ability of these materials, drawing heat from just four tealights placed inside it and releasing it in your living space. As the candles burn inside, the distinct dome shape of the innovative heater allows it to gradually heat up and radiate the heat, while the small hole on top keeps combustion going and and also releases some of the heat, allowing it to spread throughout the room.

“Egloo is conceived for contrasting continuous waste of electricity used for warming domestic rooms, offering, as an option, a candle-powered way that provides a cheaper and more ecological energy,” the product’s website states. “It takes advantage of features of terracotta that stores the heat and slowly and gradually releases it by radiation, even after it blows out.”

It may look rudimentary in its shape, materials used and the fact that it has no fancy switches to fiddle with, but Egloo is actually 3D-printed so it’s actually a lot more high-tech than most electric heaters on the market today. At about seven inches wide and weighing just over two pounds, Egloo won’t take up too much space, and can easily be moved around at any time. Just make sure you don’t touch it directly, as it tends to get pretty hot.

This all sounds very good, but how effective is this thing? According to creator Marco Zagaria, “after only 30 minutes the temperature of the environment surrounding the Egloo will be increased between 2 and 3 degrees Celsius (around 5 degrees Fahrenheit).” Considering it runs on just four tealights, each with a burning time of about five hours, you can expect this little guy to make your room nice an cozy for just around 10 cents per day.

Egloo was successfully crowdfunded through an Indiegogo campaign last year, blowing past its initial goal of $30,000 and raking in a whopping $262,513 by the end of the campaign. It’s currently available for purchase via the Egloo website, for anywhere between €45 ($50) and €90 (100), depending on size, color and glaze. Considering some of use pay that much for heat every couple of weeks, the price is seems very attractive.

Photos: Egloo

via Inhabitat