If you’re in the market for a new appliance, there will never be a better time to buy than now.  Each year around this time, manufacturers begin announcing price increases. Kurtis recently received news of an impending increase from Whirlpool Corporation, whose brands include KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Maytag, Whirlpool, Magic Chef, Estate and Amana.

Prices will change broadly across the major product categories and brands and will vary by model to an average increase of 12.09% to the consumer.  The increase will go into effect December 1, 2008.

What drives such an increase in price?  The following is a statement from Whirlpool Corporation:

“Raw material, key product component, logistics and fuel costs remain at unprecedented highs and continue to impact our cost to manufacture and deliver major home appliances to the market.  While we continue to identify and implement productivity initiatives and cost controls, these actions alone are not enough to offset historic high levels of materials costs.  Consequently, it remains increasingly difficult to fund innovation and other product reinvestments that enable us to deliver innovative, high quality, and competitively priced products to the marketplace; things that you and your customers expect and deserve.”

So if you are considering the addition of a new appliance to your home in the near future, buying before the end of the year can result in some substantial savings!