IER readers will recall that the aim of this campaign is to inform consumers of the energy and cash savings made by replacing old domestic appliances with new, more efficient ones. Many things have happened since ‘Time to Change' was unveiled two years ago - in early 2007 - and the campaign website (www.t2c.org.uk) was launched in October of that year.

The impact of our campaign has been widespread. Media coverage has been good; its high point was probably the prime-time television coverage of the ‘Find the Oldest Working Fridge' competition (won by Mr and Mrs Guntrip living in the Wirral). The appliance in question was a 55-year old Bosch fridge - a great testimony to its quality, but without doubt very energy inefficient compared to a new model.

Throughout recent months we have sought to improve the delivery of our message. The key feature of the ‘Time to Change' website is ‘the calculator'. It allows consumers to key in the year of manufacture of their existing appliance and receive independent and verifiable figures regarding the savings they could make over a year and over a five year period if they replaced it with a modern appliance.

The website has been updated with new features and revised data, and it's now receiving increased traffic, particularly since it has been linked to other websites run by the industry organisations, such as retra, retailers, such as Comet,  and some AMDEA member companies.

Lack of customer incentives

One disappointment has been the limited response by the Government to our calls for financial incentives for consumers who change their appliances. In Italy, tax rebates of up to 200 euros are provided; other EU countries have different incentive schemes for consumers. To those who argue that the present economic situation precludes such support, I would say that now is the time to encourage spending on environmentally sound projects. The US economic stimulus package contains a section directed at the domestic appliance sector. $300 million will be provided to consumers in the form of rebates for buying Energy Star products to replace old appliances. It is all very well to talk of major schemes, such as wind or tidal power, but these require considerable time and money.

Changing domestic appliances is a ‘quick fix'. We know that there are over 15.4 million fridges, freezers and washing machines that are ten years old or older still in use in homes in the UK. We know the average life of fridge-freezers is a massive 17.5 years. If these old domestic appliances were replaced, the energy savings would be the equivalent to that required to light up a large town.

So now is the time to pass on that message wherever we can - and certainly on the retail floor. Therefore advise the owners of these old fridges, washing machines and other appliances to send them for recycling and enjoy the benefits of new models.

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