For some reason the recycling costs imposed by the government (designed to force manufacturers to reduce the amount of waste they create) penalises the appliance manufacturers that make high quality appliances the most. I know the WEEE scheme is a complicated subject and I’m sure it does some good somewhere but it seems that if you make a really high quality domestic appliance that can last 20 years or more (which you would have thought would be extremely good for the environment) you have to pay much more through the WEEE Legislation than a company making a real cheap-tack appliance that may only last several years at best.
WEEE penalises quality appliances
July 14, 2009 By 6 Comments
Do we really need to dump our old inefficient appliances to save money and the world?
June 5, 2009 By 13 Comments
There is a big campaign by AMDEA trying to persuade us to throw away our old inefficient appliances and buy new more efficient ones. They claim we will be helping save the earth and will save ourselves lots of money too. However, although I agree that new appliances are usually more efficient I have more difficulty in accepting that it makes sense to throw away a perfectly good white goods appliance if it is working okay in order to save either money or save the environment.
Washing machine spin speed efficiency figures and drying costs
April 1, 2008 By 33 Comments
Here are some interesting figures (from an tumble dryer user manual) which give us an insight into the effectiveness of faster spin speeds . The figures are based on a 6kg capacity drum size and an efficient condenser dryer and show the residual dampness in laundry (cottons) after being spun at various speeds.
Why can’t modern washing machines rinse properly?
August 31, 2007 By
Which? have so far thoroughly tested hundreds of washing machines & washer dryers but one remarkable thing stands out, and it’s something I find astounding. According to Which? they are almost all not good enough at rinsing. Even some washing machines and washer dryers singled out as a Which? “Best Buy” have been “poor” at rinsing, and believe it or not at least one best Buy is “very poor” (accurate at time of writing).
Smoke free public places law has unexpected environmental benefits for washing machines
July 5, 2007 By Leave a Comment
I went out for a meal last night. I wore a smart shirt and trousers. Normally they would be thrown straight into the wash basket when I went to bed because they stunk of smoke. This morning I had a good look at them. I’d only worn them for about 3 hours, I had a good sniff and they smelt perfectly fine.
Should I take out this 5 year extended warranty?
July 3, 2007 By 6 Comments
I received the following question today asking advice about taking out a 5 year extended warranty or not. This particular decision is harder than normal because the washing machine in question has a reputation for outstanding build quality and reliability and already has a 5 year warranty -
Eco-labels suggestion
June 19, 2007 By 1 Comment
Although the Eco-labels are a good idea and have been very useful, I think they have big flaws and could do with an overhaul. They’ve been out for so long now that most appliances are equally good or there’s very little between them as they’ve all designed appliances to score well. I have some critical comments on them here – ECO labels and washing machines
What You Need to Know About Appliance Extended Warranties
May 23, 2007 By 3 Comments
Appliance repairs are expensive – but are extended warranties the answer?
Third party extended warranties have changed over recent years and no longer give the type of cover most people would expect, but how many people realise? Many washing machines have been decreasing in price (and quality) for decades but spare parts prices and consequently repair prices have increased disproportionately. Many washing machines aren’t economically worth repairing at increasingly younger ages (the youngest I’ve come across is just 13 months).
Buying washing machine from a supermarket
May 23, 2007 By 1 Comment
Washing machines on sale in supermarkets and other daft places
At the end of one of the isles in Asda there it was, a solitary Servis washing machine at a dirt cheap price. As I opened the door and looked disdainfully at its flimsy build I couldn’t help thinking what an inappropriate place this was to sell washing machines.
Appliance Error codes – friend or foe?