As our wealth increases, so does our desire to purchase more goods and gadgets. Take a look around your home and see just how many electrical appliances you have and ask yourself, how many of these would have been found in the average home 20 or 30 years ago? The answer is probably not that many. All appliances consume electricity, some more than others. The more you have, the likelihood is that your electricity bill will increase. Ask yourself these 2 questions:
You may or may not know the answer, but when you need to purchase a new appliance, particularly a white good, it is now possible to find this information out from the EU Energy Label.
The EU Energy Label
The EU Energy Label is designed to tell you the exact energy consumption of your appliance in units (kWh's) under standard conditions. It must, by law, be displayed on all of the following types of new household product displayed for sale, hire or hire-purchase:
- Fridges, freezers and fridge-freezers
- Washing machines
- Tumble dryers
- Washer dryers
- Dishwashers
- Electric ovens
- Air conditioners
- Lightbulbs
An example of an Energy Label for a fridge-freezer is shown below:
The more efficient the product, the less energy it needs and the more you get for your money. 'A' rated products are the most energy efficient and 'G' rated products are the least energy efficient.
As part of the programme the EU is removing the least energy efficient models from sale. Since September 1999, manufacturers have had to stop making fridges, freezers and fridge-freezers rated 'D' or below (or F and below for chest freezers). At the same time standards are also being raised and from 1st July 2004 there are higher A+ and A++ rating for these type of appliances.
Did you know?
A large chest freezer that is 10 years old is probably the single biggest electricity consuming appliance in your home!
An 'A' rated dishwasher uses 27% less electricity than an equivalent 'C' Rated appliance!
An 'A+' rated cold appliance uses 56% less electricity than an equivalent 'C' rated one!
How do new white goods compare to older models?
If your current appliances are more than 10 years old, you could save the following in electricity bills, simply by upgrading to a new, energy efficient model. The table below gives an indication as to the typical savings that can be made:
| Energy Rating | Average savings per year* |
| Fridge freezer | A | £40 |
| Upright/Chest freezer | A | £35 |
| Fridge | A | £23 |
| Washing machine | A | £6 |
| Dishwasher | A | £17 |
*All information is based on replacing an average appliance purchased from new in 1990 with a similar size 'A' rated model and electricity cost of 7.9p/kWh.
Did you know?
The average UK household does approximately 280 washes a year!
Look for the Energy Saving Recommended Logo
The Energy Saving Recommended logo helps you identify and buy energy efficient products. It may be displayed alongside, but not instead of, the Energy Label.
Energy Saving Recommended logo:
Only products that meet or exceed the energy efficiency criteria set by the Energy Saving Trust and backed by the Government can display this logo. It can be shown on the same type of products covered by the Energy Label but in addition covers gas boilers and heating controls.
A full list of approved products can be found on the Energy Saving Trust website.
