Smart appliances, why miss the dumb ones?

We finally have an oven that talks to the air conditioner. We were missing something. In the name of sustainability, the winning formula for creating new, high-end products with the most solid profit margins, technology allows us to put two coordinated appliances (oven and air conditioner) in our homes that converse. They don't need a cup of tea to warm up their conversation; sensors and artificial intelligence are enough. And they don't discuss the weather forecast or their kids at school, but politely exchange information about their functioning. In practice: the oven tells the air conditioner "Now I work" And the air conditioner starts pre-cooling in the kitchen area to prevent the room from overheating and to neutralize the effects of the heat wave before it materializes. Furthermore, the inventors of the new appliances promise that there should be no excessive overlap in consumption, and the user should, with intelligent load management and an automatic blocking function, be able to consumption peaks of the compressor, avoid blackouts, as we are talking about particularly energy-intensive appliances.

It's a shame that intelligence, especially artificial intelligence, is very expensive. To install a smart oven and washing machine at home, you'll need to be prepared to spend around €2. You can console yourself with the fact that the price also includes an app with seasonal recipe books and an in-oven camera that recognizes food using the usual artificial intelligence.

The technological update aimed at home automation, and declined according to the mantras of sustainability, has created a tailor-made market for the tribe of green consumers, excited by any new innovation, and prisoners of unbridled marketing that pumps up the smart appliance industry. How could you give up a refrigerator with cameras that recognize the food you put in, alert you when it's about to expire, and calculate the calories you've burned when you take it out of the door? The perfect dishwasher is one that, thanks to artificial intelligence, photographs plates and glasses in the racks, recognizes the dirt that needs cleaning, and automatically sets the washing level, which should reduce waste and energy consumption. Connected fryers can finish cooking foods that take very different times (for example, meat and fries) at the same time, so everyone can eat together! Coffee makers with remote calibration adjust the water temperature and grind via an app, and by a miracle of science, espresso should have a very special flavor. Floors are washed by mini-robots that know by heart how to set the temperature and speed and how to avoid obstacles during their (intelligent) work. The smart television is tailor-made for the TV on demand: You don't need to know what's on today, but you can build your own schedule in a few seconds and start it whenever you want, as soon as you're finally comfortably seated on the sofa.

The narrative of smart and super sustainable household appliances, as objects of status, which cannot be given up, There's a critical point that the average consumer misses until they bump into it: the lifespan of these appliances. They may be geniuses, but they have a shorter lifespan than their predecessors: appliances from the 1980s and 1990s (which, despite their relatively short lifespan, now belong to the Stone Age of technology) lasted an average of 20-30 years, while today's have a lifespan of between 7 and 10 years. You will understand that in the face of these numbers any hypothetical convenience in terms of reducing consumption and waste is nullified, and it all boils down to a marketing operation, with no benefits for consumers or the environment (among other things, with replacement parts so frequently available, the number of appliances to be disposed of increases).

The shortening lifespan of household appliances is linked to the fact that they are veritable computers: they contain motherboards, microprocessors, Wi-Fi modules, and very delicate sensors. Rather than being intelligent, these materials are electronic, not mechanical, and as such are more easily perishable even when there's a power surge. This way, the consumer becomes a prisoner of the product and its manufacturer, as is often the case with a damaged circuit board. The technician arrives at your home and his diagnosis leaves no room for a reply: "It should be replaced, but at this point, you'd better buy a new appliance..." So much for national and European laws on the subject. right to repair.

The oven that communicates with the air conditioner, and vice versa, will, within a very short period of time—a few years—have outdated software, no longer compatible with new phone operating systems or Wi-Fi systems. And there's no provision for updates or maintenance: at that point, you simply need to replace the oven and air conditioner with the latest-generation models.

The shortening of the lifespan, where it would be simple, if only someone wanted, to extend the life of household appliances thanks to technology, can also derive from the deception ofPlanned obsolescence, the consumer's planning, making him a prisoner of his own purchase. An example? Each iPhone model, celebrated with great fanfare by its manufacturers, has a shorter effective life cycle than the previous one, and a smartphone now lasts on average three years before a new one is needed. There's a substantial body of legal literature on the subject, with various rulings condemning industry giants like Apple and Huawei.

 A research A study on the obsolescence and longevity of household appliances conducted in Germany and coordinated by researchers from the German universities of Hamburg and Bonn found that over the last twenty years, the average lifespan of a television has halved, the longevity of washing machines has dropped by 45 percent, and that of ovens by 39 percent.

It would be interesting to hear from the individual buyer of the appliance green If, once he realizes the gulf between the lifespan of his jewel and the one his father bought, he's still convinced it's worth the risk. Or if he doesn't think it's better to keep an oven and an air conditioner—perhaps stupid, they don't communicate with each other, but at least they have a long life.

Cars, scooters, furniture, clothing, food: all consumption is being swept away by the wave of false sustainability. Speculation and even scams are proliferating in the name of green. All told in this book.