Re:Proposed EU rules would require clothes to last longer an...
by danuker on Sunday April 03, 2022 @10:11AM
(#30897041)
> vastly more wasteful and energy intensive to run them for 20 years than to replace them at ten
I recently bought a new washing machine. It is twice as efficient as the old one that broke down irreparably after 12 years.
I chose it by summing machines' cost, and the projected cost of each one's electricity needs going 10 years in the future, if prices go up by 10% per year, and picking the cheapest total one.
The cost of the machine itself ended up being 1149 RON, and the cost of the electricity would be 938 RON, which is almost the cost of the machine entirely.
So it is indeed important to consider efficiency and updating an old machine, and compare with what you have.
As long as the improvement in power efficiency keeps up, it will not make sense to keep an appliance for 50 years. But once that improvement stops, so does the reason for replacing them.
I recently bought a new washing machine. It is twice as efficient as the old one that broke down irreparably after 12 years.
I chose it by summing machines' cost, and the projected cost of each one's electricity needs going 10 years in the future, if prices go up by 10% per year, and picking the cheapest total one.
The cost of the machine itself ended up being 1149 RON, and the cost of the electricity would be 938 RON, which is almost the cost of the machine entirely.
So it is indeed important to consider efficiency and updating an old machine, and compare with what you have.
As long as the improvement in power efficiency keeps up, it will not make sense to keep an appliance for 50 years. But once that improvement stops, so does the reason for replacing them.