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Miele wants you to think more environmentally friendly

30.8.2023

Translation: machine translated

In the home of the future, we won't just be knocking on wardrobes, but washing in a more environmentally friendly way. At least if Miele has its way.

The Digitec and Galaxus editorial team will be reporting on site from IFA 2023 in Berlin. You can find all the news and background information published so far in our overview

News + Trends
IFA 2023: Our reports from Berlin
by Luca Fontana

First the epic, orchestral music from the speakers. A countdown on the large LED screen. Then the big announcement: it should be intelligent, the flat of the future. That's what they said at Siemens an hour earlier. Markus Miele, Co-CEO of the competition, repeats this at his own press conference. True to the motto: the smarter the household appliances, the more efficient, powerful and - above all - environmentally friendly they are.

How important the eco mode is

In fact, the topic of environmental protection is incredibly close to Mr Miele's heart, said the Co-CEO of the German family business at the press conference, which was more reminiscent of a business lounge. Served, of course. That's how you make friends. He then emphasises that the topic is not only very important to him, but also to Miele's customers. This is evident from his own market research. Just over 85 per cent of those surveyed are said to have stated that they attach great importance to the topic.

About 40 per cent of them would even pay attention to the energy class when buying large household appliances. However, only 11 per cent of the environmentally conscious respondents actually use what Dr Miele says is the biggest article we buyers can do to protect the environment: eco mode.

Mr Miele is concerned about our environment.
Source: Luca Fontana

To change this, Miele wants to make it easier for you to decide to use Eco mode. Or that you even know that this option exists. The theory in the market research department is that most people either don't know about eco mode or don't want to use it for fear that it is simply too weak for dirty laundry and dishes.

The new version of the G7200, the front-runner among Miele's dishwashers, will therefore have an eco mode that washes just as well as other standard modes - but with less energy and water consumption. For example, by making a wash cycle last longer. Sounds paradoxical. But it should work. And ultimately also save money.

The importance Miele attaches to Eco mode becomes clear at the latest when the journalists present tell us in the Q&A session how big an impact Eco mode could actually have. If you use it regularly, it would offset the entire CO2 consumption of an appliance's production, that's how powerful it is.

If Miele has its way, we should use Eco mode much more often.
Source: Luca Fontana

In general, Miele wants to sensitise you to the topic of environmental protection. With innovations in the in-house app, for example. Every Miele appliance networked with the Miele app will transparently show how much energy it is currently using and how much it is using each month. The results can be compared with previous months. Almost playful. And then the app should help with tips and tricks to save even more energy. In addition, an AI diagnosis is designed to help you find out what exactly is wrong with the appliance in the event of problems and error messages, instead of spitting out incomprehensible error codes. You would have to look these up in a manual that you can no longer find anyway. And: AI is also supposed to predict upcoming problems. So that preventative action can be taken.

Why all this? To make Miele appliances more durable. This also contributes to the topic of environmental protection.

If you knock nicely, you can keep your clothes

Miele's new wardrobe definitely comes from the "Curiosities from the tech fair" category. The basic principle is neither new nor unknown to other manufacturers, but interesting nonetheless. The interior of the wardrobe is first ventilated and the air inside is then cleaned by HEPA filters. This is intended to remove odours as well as particles such as pollen, spores, dust and other allergens. Similar to an air purifier. The cabinet has three programmes:

PowerFresh freshens up clothes with steam, which removes odours and reduces creases and creases.
DryFresh is specially designed for delicate garments that need to be freshened up without steam.
AutoDry dries all types of textiles and is designed to be particularly gentle.

Much more exciting, however, is the fact that the cabinet has no handle to open it. Instead, it is opened with a gentle knock.

The Aerium wardrobe is not due to be launched on the German market until April 2024. The RRP of the Aerium will then be 3959 euros.

Cover photo: Luca Fontana

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Luca Fontana

Senior Editor

Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.ch

I write about technology as if it were cinema, and about films as if they were real life. Between bits and blockbusters, I’m after stories that move people, not just generate clicks. And yes – sometimes I listen to film scores louder than I probably should.

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