Updated Energy Labels

A new version of the widely recognised European energy label is now applicable in all shops and online retailers. The change was aimed at helping European consumers reduce their energy bills and carbon footprint.

The new labels apply to fridges & freezers, wine coolers, dishwashers, washing machines & washer dryers. 

The new energy ratings give customers a simpler A-G scale than the previous A+++, A++, A+, to D scales.

The new scale is stricter with initially very few products achieving the “A” rating. The scope is to encourage more efficient products to be introduced in the future. The most energy-efficient products currently on the market are typically now labelled as “B”, “C” or “D”.

A number of new elements have been included on the labels, like the QR link and an EU-wide database, for consumers to find more details about the product. 

How has the assessment of energy effectiveness changed?

Washing Machines, Washer Dryers and Dishwashers are now rated based on the efficiency of the appliance's eco mode.  Due to the consumers’ growing concern about energy efficiency and the environment, the eco mode can now be used as a standard programme.

The labels on washer-dryers feature the full programme on the left and the eco mode on the right.

The energy consumption of washing machines, washer dryers and dishwashers are now expressed per 100 loads/cycles, instead of per annum. The maximum load capacity and the full load duration are also stated. This makes it easier for customers to compare appliances.

The label on fridges and freezers provide also additional information about their total capacity. 

Changes in the energy rating don’t make the appliance any less energy efficient than it was before the new labels came in. In fact, the most popular fridge freezers will be rated E and F, which are still considered energy efficient.

All information has been retrieved from the New EU energy labels applicable from 1 March 2021 Article  published by the European Commission.