- Appliances simplify life by reducing the number of steps between you and your final goal. Your oven, for instance, allows you to harness the power of fire with the turn of a dial. The leisure such convenience provides more options in your daily life. Because your refrigerator preserves foods for days past their natural expiration dates, you can keep a variety of foods stocked in your home. The more free time you have due to appliances, the more other things you are capable of doing.
- Every appliance in your home takes up space. Appliances such as air conditioners, water heaters, refrigerators, freezers and stoves are practically necessities in today's world. Toasters, hair dryers and radios, on the other hand, may take up more space than their usefulness justifies. Avoid the problem of clutter by purchasing only the appliances you need. Donate or sell appliances that you no longer find useful.
- It costs money to buy appliances, but also to operate them. As of 2011, the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that electricity costs 11.2 cents per kilowatt-hour on average; the price may be higher or lower where you live. Given this figure, and wattage figures provided by the Otter Tail Power Company, it can cost you as much as 20 cents per hour to use your clothes dryer. Cost is a disadvantage if you use appliances frequently.
- Every kilowatt-hour of electricity you use results in the emission of 2.34 lbs. of carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere, according to the University of Northern Iowa. Your refrigerator, then, can cause as much as 550 lbs. of CO2 pollution every month. This is one major disadvantage of appliances, but one that you might rarely consider because pollution may not directly affect your daily life..
Convenience
Clutter
Cost
Environmental Impact
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