Don't forget about bathroom fixtures as well. Low-flow toilets, shower heads, etc. Billed as "saving water" but when you have to use them 2-3 times as much just because they're fairly ineffective all it does is waste time and consumes the same if not more water.
Ironically when you get something like a fridge and it's basic form it's infinitely cheaper than all the other fridges with extra crap attached to it.
But not as cheap as it should be. I bought the same model fridge this year that my parents bought in 1992- they paid $299.95, I paid $549.99 ($150 off on sale). Adjusting for inflation, that fridge got $30 more expensive in 30 years, despite now being made in Mexico, using butane as a coolant, and having lower wattage LED lighting.
But at least I could buy a fridge for that price, and not a $2000 one. "But sir, this one keeps track of what's in it!" No, thanks, I'll pay a third that much and just have a whiteboard on the front for inventory.
And when you install those in old European cities, with centuries old sewers designed for a certain flow rate, the result is stagnation and failures.
I know in Germany in the summer some cities have to use tanker trucks with water to flush the sewers in summer to avoid smells.
Don't forget about bathroom fixtures as well. Low-flow toilets, shower heads, etc. Billed as "saving water" but when you have to use them 2-3 times as much just because they're fairly ineffective all it does is waste time and consumes the same if not more water.
Unscrew the shower head and faucet strainer cap and pull out that "water saver" rubber piece with the little hole in it.
Bam! Instant water pressure. I've done this in every apartment I've had.
How annoying to have designed low water pressure in the shower.
But not as cheap as it should be. I bought the same model fridge this year that my parents bought in 1992- they paid $299.95, I paid $549.99 ($150 off on sale). Adjusting for inflation, that fridge got $30 more expensive in 30 years, despite now being made in Mexico, using butane as a coolant, and having lower wattage LED lighting.
But at least I could buy a fridge for that price, and not a $2000 one. "But sir, this one keeps track of what's in it!" No, thanks, I'll pay a third that much and just have a whiteboard on the front for inventory.
And when you install those in old European cities, with centuries old sewers designed for a certain flow rate, the result is stagnation and failures. I know in Germany in the summer some cities have to use tanker trucks with water to flush the sewers in summer to avoid smells.