DEFY, Southern Africa’s largest manufacturer and distributor of major domestic appliances, recently launched a campaign to educate consumers about the importance of buying energy-saving appliances.
Regional Sales Director Richard Bunting, said that by simply by buying products with an Energy Efficiency Rating of A+ or higher, consumers stand to save up to R1,847 on electricity over five years.
“While consumers usually tend to make their purchasing decisions based on the cost to buy, we would like them to consider the cost to run, especially when it comes to cooling appliances since these are switched on 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
He added that of the roughly 900,000 fridges sold locally in 2020, 63% did not have an A+ Energy Efficiency Rating. “Had they had this rating, consumers would have saved 50% of their energy costs. The financial impacts felt by consumers in the wake of the pandemic mean that these savings are more important now than ever before.”
Bunting said energy efficient appliances are also better for the environment. “This is particularly pertinent given that Africa is one of the continents that is most vulnerable to climate change – a vulnerability that is exacerbated by existing developmental challenges.
“A major consideration is that South Africa still relies heavily on coal power stations which produce about 80% of the country’s electricity, yet energy saving is currently only at 8%, which might explain why we have to endure loadshedding.”
He said the country could have saved the energy produced by two Medupi Power Stations If all 900,000 fridges sold locally had had an A+ rating.
“Buying smarter really is a win for everyone.”
