Reduced VAT on kitchen appliances ? is it justified?

We read continually about energy saving ideas and how to recover hard cash through savings. Couple that with “switching” suppliers and the significant savings make for a very happy consumer. “Switching” however, does little for the environment.

Payback on boiler replacement can be in as little as 4 years, with annual savings reported as high as £200 to £300 pa and something as simple as investing in a hot water cylinder jacket can be recovered in a matter of months.

So what about a new kitchen? Is it wrong to think of such a “big ticket” purchase, in terms of savings and cost recovery?

There are tangible benefits to fitting a new oven, microwave combi, dishwasher, hob and A+/ A++ rated refrigeration equipment.

The consumer can achieve annual savings and reduce chemical usage, hence contributing to environmentally friendly initiatives.
For instance, Siemens appliances offer a “pyroKlean” function, which takes approximately one hour at 2.5kw, costing, say 14p per kw hour. In real terms, this costs about 35pence, with no chemicals! Compare this to more traditional scrubbing – in itself unpleasant and kind to neither hands nor environment, costing about £1.23 when taking into account raw materials and proprietary chemical cleaners, there is a saving of almost 90pence per clean.

An induction hob by Siemens or Gorenje, uses automatic pan recognition to heat only the area of the base of the pan, unlike traditional ceramic hobs, where the red glow around the outside edge of the pan clearly represents the amount of wasted energy.

“Quick Stop” functions on Siemens gas hobs eliminate wasteful use of unnecessary gas and hot water taps, such as “Quooker” and “Insinkerator” by Emerson, totally eliminate random clicking of electric kettles and heating of unused water. That can certainly add up to a considerable saving!

Humidity control on fridges reduces fresh food waste and “four star **** ” freezer compartments allow food to be stored at less than -18 degrees centigrade and for longer periods, reducing food waste.

Modern state of the art refrigeration electronics, monitor fridge and freezer cycles, saving considerable levels of energy by initiating cycles only when needed.

A+ refrigeration uses up to 25% less energy than A rated and A++ refrigeration appliances are 45% more energy efficient. This means that a Siemens IQ700 “A cool” fridge costs as little to run as £20.17 per annum.

So, can the cost of a new kitchen be linked to “payback” and cost recovery? Can the purchaser be considered to have an “environmental conscience”? You be the judge but new kitchen technology indicates that it can.

I wonder when government will start giving grants for appliances other than boilers? It makes sense. Maybe VAT could be held at 15% on domestic appliances, against a justifiable energy consumption saving?

Peter Saunders
Director