Saving energy is the biggest scam.
Would you pay twice as much in electricity for a bit more convenience?
Most people do.
Would you pay $1,000 more to save $500 in electricity?
Many people do.
But more people pay thousands more for a bit more convenience and double the energy consumption.
What does the consumer actually want
The consumer would like everything! A great price. The most energy efficient. All the bells and whistles. And for the appliance to last a lifetime.
The consumer expects that they have the full gambit offered to them.
However, the consumer is rarely offered anything really efficient.
(a fridge without frost-free = ½ energy use. Two compressors = ⅔ energy use)
Further, there are many functions that could be offered... they are just judged to be not worth the manufacturer's time to offer.
Planned obsolescence and your power bill
If we assume that money and energy can be exchanged, then the price of the refrigerator can be set in kWhs.
If two refrigerators use the same electricity to run, but one will last 10 years, and the other 5, then the one that only lasts 5 years costs a lot more to run in total.
The newest refrigerators are 10% more efficient. However, their average lifespan has dropped significantly.
Thus more energy was consumed overall. More CO2 was created for that extra new fridge you will have to buy to replace the last one that broke so quick.
Sooooo, instead of helping save the environment, the new refrigerators are costing the environment more.
(same with the other appliances)
Do you actually have any choice?
You go to your favorite big box store and see dozens of models from a half a dozen brands, and think, wow, i have lots to choose from... but do you?
But if you actually look, all you find is a bunch of "French Door" fridges (called American-style doors in France) with various levels of bells and whistles and different trim options.
Is there a lot of choice in the most efficient, freezer bottom, no ice-maker, two door fridge? Often just one or two.
How about a fridge with a built in battery backup so it stays running for a day without power?
How about a fridge that runs on 12V DC?
How about a fridge that runs on propane?
These things exist, but just try to find them.
BUT! You can have the latest, cute, little tiny fridge in multiple colors.
So, what is up for offer is anything but more efficient, all things considered.
More bells and whistles, less quality.
And the most horrifying thing is that ever single one of the refrigerators use different parts.
The cost of fixing is outrageous.
Why can we not have standard shelves? Standard compressors? Standard ice-makers (at least the outside mounting of the unit)
No, what we have is a plan for you to buy a new refrigerator within years, and chucking the old one into the landfill.
Thousands of dollars of electricity that was spent to create it... probably more than was used to run it over its short life.
Did we save the planet?
Or is the Energy Star really an Energy Pentagram, a marketing gimmick of pure evil?