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Our love of gadgets could be contributing to climate change
according to a new report by an environmental think tank.
The study by the Energy Saving Trust found that consumers are planning to buy around 30 million electrical items over a six month period, that's more than one new item per household in the UK.
Most people said that the gadgets they buy are essential to everyday living, with sales of products like TVs and DVDs predicted to rise by a third to £6 billion between 2001 and 2009.
Research by Mintel found that consumer electronics manufacturers keep the market moving by changing the appearance of certain electronic products such as televisions every few years, encouraging consumers to feel that their equipment is out of date. 'Trendies' who make up 32 per cent of the consumer types, typically professional middle class males aged 35-44, are the most concerned with home electronics.
"Some electrical items will be replacements but when you look at the trend it is clear that householders are increasingly adding new electrical gadgets to their homes. And we're very surprised by what people claim are essential products," said Philip Sellwood, Chief Executive of the Energy Saving Trust.
Sellwood said the plasma TV was a prime example of gadget addiction, with its attractive slim-line style. But he said what many customers won't know is that they use four times more energy than a traditional TV, costing £100 a year to run. This is at a time when households are buying more than one TV for their home with the average figure expected to rise to 2.6 sets per household by 2020.
Yes but does he think we are going to watch episode of Lost or play Gears of War on a little seven-inch screen? It just doesn't look the same, does it!
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