What are Energy Ratings?
You may have seen energy ratings stickers on new appliances around the home from TVs to washing machines but what exactly do they mean? The old energy ratings classed electrical appliances on a scale from A+++ to D, based on their energy usage, long-term running cots and carbon emissions.
The aim of these was to empower retail and contract buyers to make more informed decisions about the environmental impact of their appliances.
What is Changing?
The old energy scale has been around for more than 25 years and in this time, manufacturers have been able to develop products that are increasingly environmentally friendly. This is great; however, it has meant that over 90% of new products now fall into the A+++, A++ or A+ category. This can be misleading to consumers and suppliers as by buying A+ rated appliances many believe they are getting the most environmentally friendly option which is not the case.
The new energy ranking, which was launched in 2021, will soon become regulation in the UK for all refrigeration and washing appliances, including wine coolers, dishwashers and washer dryers. The new scale will now rank these appliances from A to G in an aim to make the scale more transparent and encourage further development from manufacturers to reduce energy consumption.
New Energy Ranking
It is thought that appliances currently ranked at A+++, will roughly correspond to B or C on the new label. It is, however, not possible to precisely compare the old and new labels, this is due to a change in the way energy consumption is now measured for some appliances. For example, dishwashers will be measured based on the Eco mode per 100 cycles rather than per annum.
The new label will also feature a QR code which allows access to product information when it is scanned with a smart phone camera. Some appliances such as fridge freezers will also display their noise emissions and the efficiency of chilled compartments.