Electrolux, the Swedish home appliance maker, is calling on the EU to offer consumers cash and fiscal incentives to dispose of their “gas-guzzling” fridge-freezers, washing machines and dishwashers and switch to more energy-efficient models as part of its ambitious plans to combat climate change.
The call has come from Hans Str¥berg, Electrolux chief executive, who says replacing 188m appliances more than 10 years old would cut the EU’s CO2 emissions by 18m tonnes and help to meet its target of reducing overall emissions by at least 20% by 2020. There are 630m household appliances in use in the EU.
It coincides with moves by the French government to offer cash bonuses of up to €1,300 (£940) to buy new low-emission cars and penalties of up to €2,600 for buying the most polluting models. The “malus-bonus” scheme would affect 60% of French new car buyers, some of whom would gain a superbonus of €300 for trading in a 15-year-old model.
Str¥berg told journalists that today’s appliances consume on average half as much energy as those sold a decade ago but consumers were reluctant to replace their old models. Though eight out of 10 compare energy efficiency levels before purchase only one in four makes it a key criterion.
“It’s time for European decision-makers to realise the potential here,” he said. “I’m not talking about subsidies for the industry but a win-win-win situation for society, the economy and the environment. The technology is here but the consumers are not picking it up fast enough.”
Str¥berg claims that European consumers could save €3.4bn by switching to new energy-efficient models, with pay-back time – offsetting the higher prices for new appliances with savings on bills – reduced to as little as two or three years. The average German family could save €85 in power and water costs in a year if it bought the newest models.
Belgium, Italy and Spain are among those countries which have introduced incentives to buy energy-efficient appliances and Str¥berg wants the EU to adopt a pan-European incentive scheme that, he claims, would deliver 6% of its Kyoto targets. The most modern dishwasher, he says, consumes 13 litres of water compared with 90 litres 20 years ago.
He conceded that the proposed scheme would benefit the bottom line of an industry hit by recession for the past six quarters and by rising imports from low-cost competitors. “But if we could get people to switch faster to more energy-efficient appliances that would help the EU meet its emissions targets.”
Last week Europe’s committee of electrical manufacturers, CECED, urged the EU to scrap the voluntary labelling scheme (A to G) that classifies appliances according to their energy efficiency and adopt instead a binding numerical scheme in a move designed to prevent alleged cheating by overseas manufacturers. It said that, in exchange, it would phase out class A fridges and freezers by 2013.
NOTE: The only trouble is the damage caused by scrapping all the old appliances and the cost to consumers of doing so seems not to be mentioned. Funny thing that from an appliance manufacturer that wants to sell more machines, don’t you think?
Well done Electrolux, great to see a large multinational selflessly promoting a reduction in EU co2 emissions. The one thing however missing was an estimate of the co2 emissions produced in the manufacture of 188m new appliances, this added to the existing manufacturing base emissions.
The lux group would have us throw out all our high quallity Asko and Aeg machines to be replaced with new hotpoint and indesit ones, (or would they prefer it to be bendix and zanussi) i won”t be joining the queue !
john