Blu-ray Disc ® is
Blu-ray Disc ® is changing DVD the way DVD changed VHS. With features like the richest possible HD picture, stunning 7.1 surround sound, and so many hit high-def movies, clearly, The Future is Blu. Available or coming soon to Blu-ray Disc. “Superman Returns” TM & © DC Comics. © & TM Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. © Disney. © 2007 FOX. © Lionsgate.
CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS BSH CEO HAMMERS HOME GREEN MESSAGE IN IFA KEYNOTE DR GUTBERLET UNDERLINES IMPORTANCE OF MAKING ENERGY GO FURTHER… AND WORK HARDER By Joanna Stephens Dr Kurt-Ludwig Gutberlet Chairman of the Board of Management and Chief Executive Officer BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerate (B/S/H) compressors and optimised refrigerant circuitry", Gutberlet said. B/S/H's new generation of dishwashers, meanwhile, requires only 0.97 kW of water to wash 13 place settings. "These amounts would have been inconceivable only a few years ago," Gutberlet noted. The same could be said of the latest B/S/H/ laundry dryers: "With our new heat-pump dryer, we have managed to reduce the electricity consumption for a seven kg load to only 1.9 kWh. That's 50% less than a conventional condensation dryer and is currently a record on the market." Dr Kurt-Ludwig Gutberlet is not at IFA to embark on "a star wars in the kitchen". Nor is he that interested in establishing a link between brown and white goods, or electronically connecting kitchen appliances and household gadgets. The real reason why the Chairman of the Board of Management and Chief Executive Officer of BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte (B/S/H) is in Berlin is to connect with trade partners and consumers, provide them with information on the latest, greatest additions to B/S/H product range – and to demonstrate to the world that energy-saving does not mean "plunging your kitchen into darkness" but, on the contrary, maximising convenience and performance. Gutberlet was speaking at Saturday's International Keynote, titled “Households Can Save Energy Without Sacrificing Convenience”. And his message was blunt: "That climate change is a fact is now undisputed. There is also a consensus that human activity is largely responsible for climate change and that we will have to change our lifestyle and consumption patterns if we are to mitigate its effects. If we act quickly, the price will be affordable. If we wait too long, the price will be high". Although today's households appliances account for a major share of global energy consumption, Gutberlet pointed out that domestic electrical appliances were originally designed not to save energy, but to save women from the toil and tedium of heavy housework. Today, they account for 29% of the world's global resource consumption, are responsible for 21% of its CO 2 emissions and consume 59% of it electricity. "But energy-efficient appliances could reduce the demand for electricity by 714 TWh by 2030," he said. "By way of comparison, Germany's net power generation in 2007 amounted to 597 TWh." To achieve this, however, two roadmaps need to be followed: people in the developed world must significantly reduce their resource consumption, while those in the emerging markets must, from the outset, use the most efficient appliances on the market. "By working together, we – manufacturers, trade, political leaders and consumers – can do much to achieve this major goal," he added. Moving from the general to the specific, the B/S/H chief reported that his company has long seen environmental protection as an opportunity. "For decades, we have been reducing the energy and water consumption of our appliances," he said. "Compared with 15- year-old appliances with similar features, our modern Bosch and Siemens appliances achieve a reduction in energy consumption of between 78% in the case of fridge-freezers and 35% for dishwashers and premium washing machines. And we have also been able to almost halve the water consumption of our dishwashers and washing machines." So how do you reduce energy consumption without also reducing performance? When it comes to refrigerators and freezers – one of the worst culprits in terms of energy consumption – the answer is "better insurance, more powerful Gutberlet also defended the dryer's reputation as an ecospendthrift: "While drying laundry on a line using free energy from the sun is indeed the obvious alternative, many critics overlook the fact that, in this part of the world, the number of days when one can hang laundry out to dry is limited. And another fact that is frequently overlooked is that drying laundry in heated rooms also requires energy, which has to be supplied by the central-heating system." Coming to the end of his presentation, Gutberlet flagged up another up-andcoming trend – "cooking and enjoying food" – in response to which B/S/H has developed a new built-in cooker series. "So go along to our booths and check out how well these two trends – energy efficiency and enjoying food – go together," he urged the audience. "And while you're there, do try the coffee from our new, fully-automated espresso machine, which will prove that energy can be used efficiently without sacrificing taste." Hall 3.1 / Stand 203 IFA International • Monday, 1 st September 2008 www.ifa-international.org 11
