"Pay consumers to scrap old appliances"

European consumers should be paid to scrap old appliances and purchase energy efficient replacements, EU domestic equipment manufacturers association Ceced said on Monday. The sector has invested €10bn in energy efficiency over the past ten years, but consumers are not following, so damaging manufacturers' rate of return, it complained. Policy makers should shift their focus away from even stricter efficiency standards towards promoting the replacement of less efficient appliances, Ceced concluded. It puts at 188m the number of "obsolete" appliances currently in use in the EU. See press release.

• Climate
• Health/consumers
• Products