Archive:000/Appliances
It's a common green initiative to replace old appliances with new ones that use less energy.
But in what cases is this actually beneficial to the environment - and in what cases is it worse?
We have to compare the environmental footprint of making a new appliance vs the energy saved.
Reasons we shouldn't assume (by default) that replacement is the better choice:
- Globally, manufacturing uses far more energy than household electricity does.
- Appliance replacement programs are often heavily subsidized. If they don't pay for themselves money-wise, do they pay for themselves energy-wise?
- If appliances are manufactured in other countries, the environmental impact may be overlooked.
- In some cases, household electricity is from a more renewable source than what factories use.
Research needed
Things to consider
- Energy to manufacture a new appliance
- And all the materials that go into it
- Energy to dispose of the old one
- Or maybe that's less of an issue, since the old one will have to be disposed of eventually anyway
- In that case, consider the energy to eventually dispose of the new appliance
- Or maybe that's less of an issue, since the old one will have to be disposed of eventually anyway
- Lifespan of the new appliance
- Remaining lifespan of the old appliance
- Energy consumed by the new appliance vs the old one (calculate the difference)
What about when the old appliance is almost at its end of life anyway?