The Hawksworth's April Diary - White Goods
| Published: 18th May 2007 12:29 |
White Goods and Purchasing a Fridge
Again, not a subject that inspires excitement but nevertheless worthy of investigation when trying to get that Carbon Footprint reduced further.
So buying a Fridge....
The old one although not on its last legs was highlighted for replacement - (That's the Fridge that is ... not me! Although grey and ageing fast with all the stress of 5 kids and all life throws at you!!! I still have some go in me! )
The door seal had worn out, drawers cracked, bits broken ... hey ho it's been a good one but off to the local Amenity Site at Shepshed it went with Declan, producer, cameraman and a few kids in for good measure.
The VT filmed around a week earlier was filmed to highlight correct disposal.. (no you should not leave them in a lay-by ) and give the local council some feedback on recycling and disposal of such items, etc.
Then it was off to the Local electrical retailer "Empire Direct" at the Wyvern at Pride Park, Derby to choose a new one.
Now we have been quite good at purchasing energy rating goods when it comes to electricals, mainly because we believe you get what you pay for.
Generally with seven in the family you get something that's going to last - Sturdy, that's going to take a lot of wear and tear, usually from a decent manufacturer and, of course, Carol has to like it! So makes like Bosch, AEG etc are the usual suspects!
Anyway after an afternoon filming with Declan and the crew along with the entire family, we have a new fridge!
April 20th Live Broadcast - on Location although nothing exotic "Empire Direct" at Pride Park.
This was also our first location shoot so another experience to add to the many we are encountering over the year.
Up and out with all in tow and onsite for 06:45 ... a veritable lie in !!
Fortunately the store had organised a PS3 and other goodies for the children to play with, watch or at least try to keep them occupied between hits. The guys there were really good, keeping us supplied with tea and coffee.
Once finished Declan treated the kids to MacDonald's before we whisked them all off to their schools!
We didn't have much to do or say on the day as it was mostly taken up by explanations of recycling your units, energy ratings of goods.
So what is this Energy Ratings lark?
All goods should display an energy efficiency information sticker when being advertised.
A being the most efficient down to around E or F not sure.
Even within the A range they have introduced star rating A+ A++ .....
The more +'s the better.
What does it mean?
Well the higher the rating the less energy it uses within its product range!
Within the label you will find a Kilowatt Usage figure (KwH) again the higher the figure the more expensive it is to run.
A cheaper fridge can cost around £17 plus a year to run, I think our choice of the Bosch worked out around £8 - so when choosing goods be wise to take this into consideration.
If the A+ is £50 more expensive than your primary choice, over 5 years it would about break even and be that little bit greener!
Useful Information;
Follow this link to the BBC to view this months April Broadcast
A special day for Lauren though, 17 today, live on TV and presented with a cake from the BBC team - lovely touch something I'm sure she will never forget!!!
Old enough now to start driving! Gulp!
I'm sure we'll be seeing some of this in the future when covering travel.
Next Month (May) - Car Versus Train ?
I have set up a temporary email address for those wishing to seek any further advice or submit useful ideas - please feel to contact us HFM@ntlworld.com
Paul & "The Hawksworth's"
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