"South Africans prioritise energy-efficiency when buying household appliances", was one of the key findings to emerge from a pilot study conducted by leading home appliance brand Beko earlier this year. The survey, involving a sample of 2000 South African homeowners and renters was indicative of widespread national awareness around the importance of conserving energy. And while there is much ground to be covered in the way of educating citizens on how to improve their living habits, these are encouraging prospects.
For Beko SA CEO, Mustafa Soylu, the results of the survey were “proof that messages around making energy-wise lifestyle and consumer choices are taking root. This is welcomed news both within the global context of the climate crisis and nationally, given the ongoing energy crisis. For South Africans, energy efficiency is a win-win: a win for the planet and a win for their pockets.”
Unpacking the survey’s results further, Soylu was pleased to reveal that 90% of South Africans deem it important that their appliances are energy efficient, and that almost as many respondents knew whether the appliances that they currently owned used energy in the most efficient way possible. In more positive news, 76% of these homeowners and renters said that they would aim to replace their household appliances with ones that will help them conserve more energy within the next 12 months.
The national drive to encourage South Africans to save electricity has been effective. However, as Soylu asserts, there is a ‘practicality gap’ between how South Africans choose appliances and how they use them.
“Only 57% of South Africans purported to have knowledge on how to use their kitchen appliances in the most energy-efficient way. This revealed that South Africans need to adopt better habits to reduce the amount of energy they waste in the home.
“When looking at some of the most common ways in which South Africans were wasting electricity at home, the same old culprits were popping up. Over 55% of respondents admitted to leaving lights on when not in use and allowing electronic gadgets to charge for longer than needed. A further 39% of respondents claim to open the oven door frequently during cooking.”
Soylu adds that we know that South Africans are aware of the importance of saving electricity and that they are making better choices as consumers, but what we need now is for individuals to adapt their household habits and everyday behaviour in an effort to reduce unnecessary wastage.
One way in which consumers can save electricity is to check their appliance settings and consult product manuals for instructions on how to optimise the device to use as little energy as possible. Given that millions of appliances are already in use worldwide, adopting behavioral changes, such as using eco-settings on the appliances already installed in houses, can result in an overall reduction of energy considerably more quickly.
In facilitating the survey, Beko was therefore particularly interested in finding out whether appliance labelling and icons were clear enough for people to understand.
According to the survey results, nearly half of respondents felt overwhelmed by the energy-efficient logos and labels on household appliances. In this finding lies an important insight and lesson for appliance manufacturers and regulators to look into the readability of labels and consider ways that rating systems and green labeling can be simplified.
Soylu concludes: “We encourage all industry stakeholders to help create a national culture of energy efficiency by investing in environmentally sound, technological innovation. Also, as industry peers, we play an important role in offering South Africans practical advice on how to use energy wisely every day. Mutual cooperation and concerted education drives will go a long way in bringing about positive change.”
About Beko
Beko is the international home appliance brand of Arçelik, which is a multinational household appliances manufacturer that operates with 12 brands and employs 45,000 people worldwide. Beko is one of the top 3 large home appliances brands in Europe*. The brand is the naming partner of Fenerbahçe Men’s Basketball Team and official supplier of European League of Legends Championship (LEC).
Beko has been focusing on healthy living for years, raising awareness and developing products that make healthy living possible and convenient. Beko’s brand mission is ‘healthy living is only possible on a healthy planet’. Beko is committed to protecting the planet by designing and manufacturing energy-efficient products and investing in resource efficiency in production.
Contact Beko, www.beko.com
