Home Appliances

Public policies in many countries seek to steer manufacturers and consumers toward using more energy-efficient goods. This article examines one of the largest uses of electrical goods—electrical appliances for home—that are produced and purchased in large and increasing quantities.

A home or domestic appliance is a machine used to accomplish routine housekeeping tasks, such as food preservation (e.g., refrigerators or freezers), cooking (e.g., stoves, ovens, microwave ovens), cleaning (e.g., dishwashers, washing machines, dryers). Household appliances consume a lot of energy—on average, a quarter of all the energy used in the [Page 244]house. Furthermore, they can affect the environment through their “associate” consumptions, for example, the use of water and soaps, as well as their disposal.

Home appliances are usually referred to as major household appliances (such as ...