My microwave is broken, well maybe it isn't even very broken, but it's making funny noises and doing weird things with the lights, and basically I'm a bit scared of microwaves so we haven't tried anything since then.
I have tried calling every microwave repair person in the city, and just outside and they either never answer their phone and don't call back, or the wrong number is listed on yell! If I travel too far it will become a toss up which is more environmentally friendly, repairing the microwave and driving to get it done or just buying a new one.
Apparently currys will recycle my old one, but that doesn;t help all the resources and waste it will take to make my new one, plus the energy expended to get the other one recycled.
I read a thing a while ago that said if you already owned a microwave then it was environmentally sound to use it as they use less energy than conventional ovens, but that if you didn't have one already it was doubtless unethical to buy one. But now I am trying to find out how bad they are, and pretty much drawing a blank.
At first it was OK, but now I am starting to wish there was one. I don't use it loads, but I do steam veg in it, and reheat meals which have been made the day before. I think it is less environmentally sound to keep using the cooker to reheat, and to use extra washing liquid and water to clean things which have stuff baked on.
The last microwave has lasted about 8 years, so it;s not like it's an everyday purchase, but not a once in a lifetime one either.
I don't really know what the best thing to do is. Nothing until January and the buy nothing new challenge is over!
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We've got a spare one (the last owners of our new house left their old one here when they moved) - shame we don't live nearer or you could have that as a stop gap until you decide what to do. :)
ReplyDeletePost a want-ad on your local Freecycle/Freegle maybe? Or failing that, check if there are any used ones nearby on eBay?
I second trying to find a used one that is in decent working order. A microwave uses far less energy that a stovetop or oven, so using it when you can will not only save you the money on energy, but will reduce your carbon footprint just a tad.
ReplyDeleteHi there,
ReplyDeleteI came across your blog recently via. Crunchy Chicken's delurking post, and was super-impressed by your recent trip to Japan.
I wonder if I might be able to put some numbers on your question re. the microwave. My husband and I developed a greenhouse gas auditing spreadsheet using information publicly available on the internet. Using the data on that, I worked out the following:
Assuming you use the microwave only twice a week for five minutes, and that your options are to:
1. replace your microwave with a new one
2. replace it with a second hand one
3. repair the old one
4. use the stove instead
and that you are using the UK average electricity, then you have the smallest greenhouse gas emissions over the next eight years if you just use the stove. You get double the emissions if you repair the microwave or replace it with a second hand one (I have assumed here that either of these involve driving a 100 mile round trip, as your post indicated that you felt this would involve a lot of driving), and nearly five times as much if you buy a new one.
The picture changes a bit if you use windpowered electricity (I have an idea you said you do) or if you use a gas hob rather than an electric one (I have a vague idea they are more common in the UK). You can see all the options on this Google spreadsheet, and also take a copy of it and alter the numbers to make it that you use the microwave more often or it has a different wattage or whatever.
If you're interested, you can download our carbon emissions auditing spreadsheet from here .
Cheers,
--Heather :-)
AARRGGHHH....
ReplyDeleteI made a few mistakes in the first version of the spreadsheet (a few hours back). It's now been updated and tidied up lots.
Basically, were you to have to drive 100 miles to repair your microwave or replace it with a second hand one, and assuming you use regular electricity, then it's best to dump the microwave and use the stove. Doing all the driving to repair or replace with second hand generates about double the emissions, and buying a brand new microwave without driving at all generates a bit more again.
*But*, if your repair/find second hand driving was a less extreme distance away, or have to drive *at all* to buy a new microwave, things change a lot. If each of these three options (repair, buy second hand, buy new) all involved driving 10 miles then the stove and repairing are about equal, buying second hand is about a third again the emissions and buying new is well over double.
Similarly, if you used wind energy instead of regular electricity the picture changes again.
You can play with my spreadsheet here - you just have to go to the 'file' tab and go 'save a copy' first, and the distance numbers are towards the bottom on the left, highlighted in bold.
Of course, this doesn't consider other environmental factors like pollution, water use etc., but it's a good start!
Cheers,
--Heather :-)