Appliance Energy Labels changed on the 1st March 2021: here’s what you need to know.
Appliance energy labels have been in use for over 25 years helping consumers to choose more energy efficient products. But as demand has increased for more innovative and more environmentally friendly products, appliance manufacturers have been producing more energy efficient machines, where now nearly all appliances are rated either A+, A++ or A+++, therefore the energy rating system has become less effective in helping consumers differentiate between which machines are more energy efficient.
So, the whole system needs a reset, hence the new appliance energy labels being introduced from 1st March 2021. These new labels will have a much simpler scale which runs from A to G. A being the most efficient and G the least efficient.
In addition, each product will also contain additional details specific to the product type e.g. water consumption for dishwashers & spin drying efficiency for washing machines. Annual energy consumption for items that are always on like fridges and freezers, energy consumption per 100 cycles for washing machines & dishwashers, and lamps, TV's and monitors are measured on 1000 hours of use. All appliances also now have a noise emitted in decibels rating from A to D with A being the quietest. The other big change is the introduction of the QR code, which can be easily scanned with a smart phone so you can see the full specification of the product.
What appliances will be using the new energy labels?
What do the new Energy Labels tell us?
Example of a new washing machine energy label:
New Energy Label Ratings vs Old Energy Label Ratings
Don't be too put off if you now see products with C,D,E or even F ratings.
For example, a fridge that had a A+++ label rating could now be a C category rating, even though energy efficiency of the fridge hasn't changed, or that an A++ dishwasher could now have an energy label rating of E. The main idea is that the A rating will be empty at first, and B and C ratings scarcely populated, to leave them open for new, more energy efficient products to be invented and developed in the future.
See the Which report on the new Energy Labels - Click Here
