New energy label for home appliances
The A-G scale replaces today's system with letters and plus signs
Text: Jessika Jellbom
Published: 16 February 2021
This article is written by Prisjakt’s editorial staff. No one else has influenced the content of it. There are no paid links or other types of advertising collaborations.
On 1 March, a new energy label will be introduced in the EU on, amongst other things, household appliances and television sets. The idea is that it will be easier for us consumers to compare different products based on their energy consumption.
The origins of our current energy labelling system were introduced in 1995 to drive development forward in making our electronics more energy efficient. And it worked - in 2006 it was found that electricity use in homes had been halved over ten years. But as the number of products increased, the letters A to D were no longer sufficient - and then the plus signs began to appear.
However, these labels have become increasingly difficult for us consumers to evaluate: How much better is ++ than +? Is the letter A bad on its own? Consumer surveys showed that we interpreted the difference between letters as larger than between plus signs - and it was decided that the letter scale had to expand.
These products will get new energy labels:
A to G
– the new energy scale
14 EU countries and the United Kingdom have agreed to introduce a new scale that goes from A to G, without pluses.
The new scale should not be compared with the current one: today's A-rated products will, for example, correspond to the new energy classes B and C. This is done to leave room for the even more energy-efficient products of the future. You don’t want to end up in ++ mode again.
How and when will the new energy label be introduced?
- The new energy label will take effect on 1 March 2021. The labels will be very similar to the old ones, but show the new scale: A to G.
- During a transition period, both the old and the new energy labels will be visible in the shops, as different product groups will change label at different dates. On 1 December 2021, all products covered by the new law must have the new labels.
New label with QR-code
You’ll easily recognise the new label, the colour scale, and the information are the same. In addition to the manufacturer’s name, model number and energy class A to G, it can tell you about:
- How much energy the product uses per year, or a specified number of uses, stated in kilowatt hours, kWh.
- In most cases the product noise level (sound power level) marked as dB (A) and sound rating A to D.
The label also contains relevant information for each product group such as:
- If it’s a fridge or freezer (volume in litres).
- If it is a washing machine: how many kg of laundry it holds, water consumption, spin class and eco-program time.
- If it's a TV or monitor: size in inches and power consumption in HDR mode.
Scan for more information
A new feature on the label is the QR code. You can scan it with your mobile phone for more information about the product in the European product database for energy-labelled products, EPREL.
You can read more about this here:
This article is written by Prisjakt’s editorial staff. No one else has influenced the content of it. There are no paid links or other types of advertising collaborations. Jessika Jellbom can be reached at [email protected].