Understanding Your Home Appliance Energy Labels
The energy labels on modern kitchen appliance models are an important topic for everyday homes, and especially as a new generation of labels began appearing as of March 2021. These changes were intended to make energy labelling clearer and easier for people to understand how efficient (or not!) their home appliances are. In this blog you can read the latest information about this renewed energy labelling for kitchen appliances. The new labels apply to refrigerators, freezers, wine coolers and dishwashers.
Why did appliance energy labelling change?
Originally introduced in the 1990’s, with the old energy labelling, label A was the most economical. But increasingly supplemented with pluses, grades A+, A++ and A+++ became extremely common, and this led to confusion, and the meanings of the labelling was no longer clear for many people. It was therefore undesirable to continue kitchen energy labelling in this way and instead, the European Union decided to reassess the labelling for Europe and the UK with the scale from A to G.
Scale changes in kitchen energy labels
So, what exactly has changed? …For starters, a new scale with simpler energy rating from A to G, as well as a noise rating from A-D. The pluses no longer apply, and the scale is stricter, with few existing appliance models achieving the ‘A’ grading, which in turn leaves plenty of room for manufacturers to come up with increasingly efficient products in future- which is great for both the environment, and for monthly bills! The label has thus regained its function as an aid in making purchase decisions. And for existing appliances, they may appear to have been downgraded. For example, for your refrigerator with a former energy label A++, this means that the appliance may now have received the energy label F. Of course, your refrigerator does not suddenly use more power, but there is potential for newer and more energy efficient equipment to become available.
A new QR code for kitchen energy labels
The new energy labels also come equipped with a convenient QR code. By scanning this QR code with your smartphone, you will arrive at a European database in which the product information and specifications are made clear for all devices that have the new kitchen energy label. Other changes include pictograms highlighting new appliance features and testing methods, and since the UK left the EU, a Union Jack flag has now been added to the label in place of the former EU flag.
Energy Consumption between different appliance models
Energy consumption between comparable kitchen appliance models can vary significantly so it pays to shop around and buy appliances based on what you need for you and your family. For example, a large hob will consume more energy than a smaller version so if you live alone or don’t often cook then a smaller model is a more economical option for you. Of course, you can also check the energy consumption yourself for kitchen appliances without the use of an energy label. Instead, you can look up the energy consumption in kWh of the device to compare; The lower the kWh, the better it is for the environment.
What does this mean for appliances with an old energy label?
The new energy labels have featured on kitchen appliances since March 2021. Models manufactured prior to this may still bear the old label so it is possible that you might still see the old label, but generally over time these will be phased out and replaced by the new energy rating system.
Need more help in choosing your perfect kitchen appliances? For more information energy rating and appliance models contact your local kitchen specialist today!
