On even the most tastefully appointed of houses, garage doors tend to be drab and monochrome eyesores, designed apparently without even the smallest nod to aesthetics. A German company aims to change all that, however, with large-scale posters that transform the doors through highly realistic 3D images.

Style-your-garage.com's photo tarpaulins are available with a variety of motifs and images that are sure to cause neighbours, friends and passers-by to stop and stare. A photographic version of trompe l'oeil, some are designed to give the impression that unusual contents can be found in the garage, such as an airplane, race car or monster-sized kitty. Others aim to provide a glimpse of the world beyond the garage door, such as a Tuscan landscape or what seems to be the home's very own golf course. Another series, meanwhile, aims to give the garage door itself another look altogether, such as through a rustic wooden appearance. Consumers can also upload the digital image of their choice and have it turned into a customised photo tarpaulin. In fact, Style-your-garage.com invites consumers to submit ideas for new designs as well, and promises a share of the profits if their idea gets accepted. The company's posters are designed primarily for up-and-over garage doors but can be adapted for sectional or wing doors as well. Crafted from material similar to that used for truck tarpaulins, they are rip-proof, weather-proof and even come with a fire safety certificate. Special promotional pricing through the end of this month is EUR 169 for all but the customised styles.

Coming soon from Munich-based Style-your-garage.com are Style-your-window.com and Style-your-door.com. One—or two, or three—to get in on early...? (Related: Parking garages transformed by large-scale ads — Sticky car art with a crowdsourcing twist.)

Website: www.style-your-garage.com
Contact: info@style-your-garage.com

Spotted by: Katherine Noyes

German utility company Yello Strom is clearly into accessible tech: it manages its meters directly via households’ broadband connections, and offers access to Google's PowerMeter. Now, it's keeping its customers informed by enabling meters to tweet about energy use.

Each "Yello Sparzähler" smart meter (designed by IDEO) is allocated its own Twitter account, which is automatically updated with energy consumption data. The owner can follow the account to receive regular updates, leading to greater awareness and hopefully lower energy use. DIY power monitors such as Tweet-a-Watt are also capable of tweeting, but Yello Strom seems to be the first utility company to offer the service as an integral part of their smart meters.

While adding Twitter to their mix will undoubtedly give Yello Strom a PR-boost, the larger goal is to feed energy data into any tool customers may be using. As explained by Yello Executive Director Martin Vesper, "Our goal is to use as many different channels as possible to inform our customers about their energy consumption." (Related: Smart thermostat is always online — Home energy monitoring, delivered by Google.)

Website: www.yellostrom.de
Contact: presse@yellostrom.de

Spotted by: Judy McRae

Launched earlier this month, Creative Caravan is a property listing service for people working in the creative industries, devised to help film directors, make-up artists, painters, photographers, etc find a place to (sub)let or swap.

The Australian service aims to make it easier for people who are constantly on the move find short-let properties at short notice, anywhere from Northamptonshire in the UK to Sydney in Australia. How it works? Registration is free for anyone wishing to browse or list a housing ad. No payment is made until the user has found a property they'd like to rent or swap with, at which time they pay a monthly membership fee of USD 35, or an annual fee of USD 70. Update: Creative Caravan's founder has decided to make the service entirely free of charge. Besides access to a property owner's contact details, membership also includes an RSS feed of suitable properties. Creative Caravan vets each member to ensure they are in fact a creative professional. However, as it is too resource-intensive to check every property, pictures and communication between members is greatly encouraged.

Will the niche service be able to compete with established behemoths like Craigslist? Creative Caravan feels there's a degree of trust in sub-letting to someone from the same industry, making both parties feel more comfortable with having a stranger inhabit their home. Network-building and a shared focus on aesthetics could be added benefits. One to set up for other groups or categories?

Website: www.creativecaravan.net
Contact: www.creativecaravan.net/contact

Last summer we spotted Roof Ray, an online service that uses Google maps to estimate a building's solar potential. California-based Sungevity takes the notion one step further by using solar imaging and existing satellite images to design solar panelling.

Sungevity’s system means it cuts out visits to client homes to take measurements and make draft plans; speeding up process, saving customers a bit of cash, and also reducing carbon emissions. Interested customers can request a free iQuote. Staff then set to work with satellite images to measure the available roof space, determine the tilt and direction of the roof, and even identify obstacles that could make installation difficult or cause shade problems. Two to five systems are designed for every quote, allowing Sungevity to work around the target quote and take issues such as energy rebates into consideration. The company acknowledges that some more complicated homes may require visits, but for most a visit to the site isn't necessary until installation day. The company also takes care of permits and paperwork.

Sungevity breaks new ground by combining aerial photography with remote design and pre-fitted solar panelling. Services like this simplify retrofitting homes, which is half the battle in convincing people to act to cut carbon. One to bring to other sunny regions?

Website: www.sungevity.com
Contact: info@sungevity.com

Spotted by: Charlie Haims

Team-licensed caps, T-shirts and watches may be all very well for the average sports fan, but what of the truly ardent supporter? Working on the assumption that there are enthusiasts out there wishing for bigger and better ways to express their passion, Stadium Associates is now giving fans of the New York Yankees a chance to bring nothing less than a piece of the stadium into their own back yard.

Indeed, Yankees fans can now buy grass seed and sod drawn from the very same farm and crops that have supplied Yankee Stadium for the past four decades. The proprietary sports turf—specially grown for the Yankees by DeLea Sod Farms on an 80-acre farm in Southern New Jersey—features the same 100 percent Kentucky Bluegrass used in Yankee Stadium and "grooms easy and stands tough," in the words of Stadium Associates; "you will never feel a stronger connection with the team or the game than with this Authentic MLB product." Yankees Grass Seed is priced starting at USD 14.99 for a 3 oz. bag, and is available both online and through Yankee Stadium, Yankee Clubhouse Stores, and select Home Depot stores in the New York metro area. Yankees Sod is available through New York Home Depot stores as well as DeLea Sod Farms.

Is there any underestimating consumers' enthusiasm for the teams, artists and performers they love? We think not—nor has their fondness for a good status story and some (still) made here appeal faded at all. For sports teams around the globe, this is one to emulate; for all others: look around you, and be inspired!

Website: www.stadiumassociates.com
Contact: www.stadiumassociates.com/Pages/Contact

Spotted by: Judy McRae