It has been several months, but ACRE is finally back. There was not much point in posting about Kunming’s environmental issues, when the blog was blocked in China. But the block has been lifted, spring has arrived, and I will be posting regularly again.
When I moved to Kunming in November, I moved into an unfurnished apartment, and was forced to buy all my own furniture, including kitchen appliances. I wanted to purchase the most energy efficient refrigerator and washing machine I could afford, but was faced with the prospect of trying to convey this idea in Chinese. Fortunately, I soon discovered that the Chinese Government has a very handy and easy to decipher labeling system for appliances.
If you care for the specifics, go here. There are two things to look for in the label. One is the overall rating, which is generally between 1 and 5 (one being the best). The second aspect to bear in mind is the information at the bottom of the label. For a refrigerator, it will tell you, among other information, how many watts of electricity it uses in 24 hours, and for a washing machine, how much water is used per load.
Even if you do not read Chinese, you can compare the various models and get a good idea which one is the most energy efficient just based on the numbers on the label.
One other item I bought was an induction cooker. I knew nothing about induction cooking before, but it turns out it is not only the most energy efficient method of heating food, but also the fastest and safest.
So if you are living in China, and need to buy a new appliance, or your landlord is going to buy one for your apartment, be sure to look closely at the China Energy Label. Not only will you be helping the environment, but in the long run, you will save money.
