New ‘beyond A’ energy label ratings, which could become standard on a wide range of household appliances, have been proposed by the EU.
The European Commission outlined its plans to reform the label rating system, with the introduction of three new “beyond A” grades: “A+”, “A++” and “A+++”.
The changes are said to concern televisions, freezers, washing machines and dish washers, which amount to an average of 30pc of monthly household electricity bills. The EU said the energy label will allow the consumer “to easily see which are the appliances consuming the least energy”.
New labelling system will introduce 3 A classes
The new labelling system will allow the 3 A classes to be added on top of class A; to provide consumers with more differentiation between products. The language free label will be added in the packaging of each appliance and will allow retailers to easily attach it to the appliances at the point of sale.
The Commission says it will consider introducing an A+ category for TVs that are 30pc more efficient than the current best performers in 2014.
“Energy labels move the market towards highly energy-efficient products, which is a major contribution to reaching Europe’s energy efficiency, competitiveness and climate change goals. At the same time, they save money for consumers,” said EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger.
The regulations are subject to European Parliament and Council agreement and if there are no objections, the regulations should come into play in late 2010 or early 2011, according to the Commission.
Energy labels are adopted by the European Commission on a product by product basis and currently include the following information: ranking of products according to their energy efficiency consumption on an A to G scale, the A class (green) being the most energy efficient appliances and the G class (red) the least, annual energy consumption or energy consumption per cycle, and other information which relates to the use of energy or other resources, eg, water consumption, or volume of the appliance.
To find out more about the energy label proposals, click here.
