New Energy Labels for Home Appliances
What's new?
The UK is introducing a new energy label in 2021 to spread energy performance over a much wider scale in the hopes that it will make it much easier for consumers to compare electrical items. It will also set new standards for energy saving appliances, bringing further savings for consumers as well as helping manufacturers meet their environmental commitments set by the Government.
An example of the old energy label is shown on the top left, an example of the new energy label is shown on the right. In addition to the new energy classes, you can see that a QR code has been added to the new labels to make the shopping process as quick and as painless as possible, with all of the key information supplied straight to your smart device. There is also a more understandable measurement of energy consumption located at the bottom of the label alongside information specific to the appliance you are buying such as noise emission and water consumption figures.
In addition, there are category specific changes that can be seen below.
Refrigerators and Freezers
New labels will feature an icon for chilled and unfrozen compartments with a separate icon for noise emissions. This includes more detail on noise emission classes.
Wine storage refrigerators
Changes include a new icon for wine bottles as well as more information regarding noise emissions and the relevant classes.
TVS and electronic displays
Energy consumption is now detailed per 1,000 hours of use for both Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) and High Dynamic Range (HDR) on the new labels. Consumers can also view the resolution level in pixels as part of the screen sizing information. For simplicity, the detail of power in watts and hard switches has been removed.
Washing machines
Labels now include the energy consumption per 100 washes with added information on capacity and duration of ‘Eco’ programmes. Water consumption is also listed (per litre) alongside the noise output when spinning (not washing).
Washer Dryers
As seen on the example washing machine label, the energy consumption is now listed per 100 washes with a noise emission class for the appliance while it’s spinning. A rated wash capacity, water consumption level and approximate durations of a standard programme is included for both a wash & dry cycle as well as an individual wash cycle.
Dishwashers
Alongside the new icon for noise emissions, you can also view the duration and water consumption of the energy efficient ‘Eco’ setting. The new labels also list the energy consumption of the ‘Eco’ programme as per 100 cycles.