Doing good by using (new) white goods

The word ‘energy’ conjures up some dramatic images, from industrial chimneys bellowing out smoke, to the congested sprawl of modern cities. It should also call to mind the modern kitchen, with its familiar domestic goods such as washing machines, dishwashers, fridges and freezers. The European Commission has estimated that using these goods more efficiently could save up to 35 million tonnes of oil equivalent by 2020.

Over the last two decades, the energy efficiency of white goods has improved significantly. In 1985 the average washing machine churned around 130 litres of water, in 2004 it used just 49 litres. Today, the average fridge needs 40% less energy to keep cool than it did ten years ago. Similarly, the energy consumption of freezers, electric ovens and dishwashers has tumbled. Yet, despite these improvements, the ecological footprint of domestic appliances is bigger than it should be.

The European Committee of Manufacturers of Domestic Equipment (CECED), which represents companies such as Electrolux and Whirlpool, estimates that in the EU, there are 188 million appliances that are over ten years old and failing to meet the high environmental standards of modern appliances. CECED believes that replacing these appliances would provide the same CO2 reduction as taking five million cars off the road.

Unsurprisingly, the white goods industry would like to see consumers replace these old, energy-thirsty goods with sleek and efficient new appliances. Pascal Leroy, government affairs officer at CECED, recommends that consumers should replace all fridges that are more than ten years old, even if the old fridge still functions. "It makes sense for the environment and for energy use."

This view is confirmed in a study CECED commissioned from the Oko Institut, an environmental consultancy based in Germany. The Oko Institut investigated whether it was more ecologically sound to replace an old inefficient washing machine with a new model, or to continue using the old model until it broke. The Institut compared the water and energy consumption of washing machines from 1985, 1990 and 1995 with a model from 2004. In each case, the researchers found that buying the new, ecologically efficient machine had a bigger environmental payback than keeping the old machine.

These findings are backed by conservation groups. Esther Bollendorf, policy officer at Friends of the Earth, thinks that consumers should replace old, inefficient goods as fast as possible. Likewise, Mariangiola Fabbri at WWF considers that it is better to replace a new appliance with a more energy efficient model. "It is much worse to keep an inefficient product until it breaks," she says. She believes that the WEEE directive on waste, electrical and electronic equipment, which requires manufacturers to recycle old appliances, means consumers "can be sure they will not contribute to increased waste". In theory, it means that if consumers took the advice to buy new goods, there would be no sudden formation of old fridge mountains.

But consumers buy white goods relatively infrequently and have few incentives to replace well functioning, inefficient appliances. Some EU countries have subsidised consumers to replace old appliances and buy more energy-efficient goods. In 2000-03, the Dutch government offered cash rebates to people who bought more energy efficient appliances. As a result, the market share of Class A and higher models (the green ‘gold standard’) increased from 37% to 94%.

In last week’s (19 October) action plan for energy efficiency, the Commission reaffirmed the importance of the labelling and eco design directives and said that by 2010 different household gadgets and appliances will have to meet stringent minimum standards of energy efficiency.

The white goods industry would like to see tax credits for manufacturers to tilt the market further towards energy efficiency. But Fabbri is sceptical about this. She thinks that any tax credit should be linked to sales and promotion, rather than production. Fabbri also believes there is a need to make sure that people are well informed, so that the right decisions are also the easy decisions. "We need to get to a point where energy requirements are considered as normal as safety requirements," she says.

The word ‘energy’ conjures up some dramatic images, from industrial chimneys bellowing out smoke, to the congested sprawl of modern cities. It should also call to mind the modern kitchen, with its familiar domestic goods such as washing machines, dishwashers, fridges and freezers. The European Commission has estimated that using these goods more efficiently could save up to 35 million tonnes of oil equivalent by 2020.