Human Power Station

A warehouse, Bedford

'So how many cyclists does it take to make a cup of tea? About 100, if you run your home on pedal power.' Will Hodgkinson, The Guardian.

A BBC 'Bang Goes The Theory' special event showed how much electricity we use and abuse without even thinking about it. This huge experiment attempted to power a house for an entire day solely through human pedal power, whilst the unsuspecting family inside went about their normal routine.

Hanging on the wall in front of the 100 cyclist volunteers was a screen displaying a continual live feed from the house, which meant that the knackered cyclists gasped with horror and desperately called for more people to jump on the bikes each time a family member approached a household appliance.

'This is where the fun comes in: it's basically like an episode of Big Brother with a sternly philanthropic sense of purpose and a curious emphasis on household appliances.' Charlie Brooker, The Guardian.