Now you can find out, as we’ve added yet more functionality to our site with the inclusion of European electricity tariffs. These have been taken from the dti Quarterly Energy Prices index. So where is the cheapest place to run a washing machine? According to the dti figures it’s Greece at 7.17 eurocents per unit and the most expensive is Italy 23.175 eurocents per unit. It would be interesting to know if the Italians are more energy aware.
Sust-it’s energy saving appliances database updates
This week we have rolled out a number of improvements to the search results pages.
Firstly, calculations are now based on electricity costs from a broad range of Energy Suppliers. Simply choose a different Supplier and Tariff from the pop-up menu on the Search Results page, and the daily and annual costs are instantly re-calculated.
Secondly, we have added a new column to the results that shows how many kilograms of CO2 the product will produce each year. Calculations are based on data from The National Energy Foundation and official UK data from DEFRA.
Finally, we have added the Annual Power Consumption in kWh/year for every product into the More Info section, so you can perform further calculations if you wish.
I’ve just spent two days trying to calculate my CO2 footprint.
As you can imagine we have a keen interest in helping people reduce their carbon emissions. And as web developers we have a professional interest in any new nationally targeted website and particularly one that also advises on energy reduction and lifestyle changes that help reduce CO2.
So when a news article pops up on my screen announcing the opening of a new government website, which allows you to calculate your CO2 emissions – you can probably guess where I went. ACT ON CO2 and guess what? It didn’t work! “OK, it’s just gone live so it’s probably busy I’ll come back later” I thoughy. I went back later that day on three occasions and eventually managed to load the first page – it locked up my machine! So I gave up. At 11pm the following evening, I tried again and it told me the site was experiencing a lot of demand, so try again later. I give it another 30 minutes thinking most sane people will have gone to bed by now. Yes, they must have; the first page loads again with moving trains and cars and a pretty street scene, then it stops: obviously my 8mb connection is not up to it! Must be time to try the good old-fashioned HTML version – it works, albeit very, very slowly! 40 minutes later I’m finished. I’ve got a nice report telling me to do things I’ve already done.
Was it worth it? Yes… lots of good sound advice. Will people have the patience? I don’t think so. And how much has this cost to be developed? I dread to think! Looks nice though.
No mention of “power consumption” in Apple’s response to Greenpeace
I’m pleased that Apple’s Steve Jobs has taken the Greenpeace campaign on waste and the use of toxic materials seriously, and has responded in a positive manner – however, I think the environmental sustainability of consumer products is a far more complex issue than purely how they are manufactured and the materials used.
I have always believed that Apple is an example of a company who produces products that are sustainable. Why? Because they last! I wonder how many PCs are sitting in landfill sites leaking out chemicals, because their owners thought they were worn out and running too slow. In fact, these machines were probably perfectly all right, its just that they had been infected with a virus, or their users could not workout how to upgrade them.
Having spent most of my working life in front of a Mac, I know how long they can keep working reliably. You can upgrade Apple computers without the need of a Phd in software programming and engineering. So what’s better for the environment – 4 dead PCs or one upgraded Mac?
My only gripe with this Apple and Greenpeace issue is that they have not addressed the topic of power consumption of PCs and Macs. Yes – Apple did adopt LCD screens ahead of other manufacturers, probably more to do with aesthetics rather than any energy saving though. They also build some models with no fans, which is great. It’s also rumored that Apple are developing “flash memory” laptops, and if true, these machines should be far more energy efficient than conventional hard drive based laptops. Also the introduction of LED backlight technology for screens should also drive down power consumption. However what’s really needed is a complete commitment to energy efficient products across the computer industry and not just focused on portable devices where battery life is important. I’d love an energy efficient long-lasting, upgradeable desktop machine. The only issue is my old G4 is still working!
Over 1000 products are now rated in our database
Finally we have over a thousand products in our power consumption database. Please don’t forget you can register with sust-it if you are a manufacturer or a retailer. This will allow you to add your latest models as they become available. Simply click on the register tab and fill in the form.
