WIREDGOV

The latest work on incorrect energy labels, focusing on freezers, has resulted in a successful outcome for the National Measurement Office.

As part of their enforcement activity in the field of ecodesign and energy labelling the National Measurement Office (NMO) has recently concluded work with Pik-a-Pak, owners of the iGenix brand, regarding the performance of their IG3970 freezer.

Freezers, washing machines and other white goods are regularly tested by the NMO to determine whether their energy label claims match their actual performance. They use accredited laboratories to test products then work with the companies when the results do not match the claims on the label. With consumers increasingly basing their choice of product on the energy label, it is imperative that they are not misled by false claims.

The iGenix freezer was found to be using an average of 49.2% more energy than was claimed on the label, representing a considerable detriment to the consumer. The company were contacted and proceeded to work with theNMO by taking the positive steps of quarantining their stock and returning a an order to the manufacturer. Following further work together and their own testing of the freezer, Pik-a-Pak returned all of the stock to their manufacturer.

Given the degree to which the freezer’s performance did not match the label ratings, the NMO issued a £15,000 variable monetary penalty to Pik-a-Pak, the amount of which takes into account:

• the level of detriment to the consumer
• benefit to the company of selling the product as claimed on the label
• the company’s willingness to work with authorities

Geeta Brown, Purchasing & Marketing Manager for Igenix commented:

We would like to thank the National Measurement Office for bringing to our attention their concerns with our model IG3970 Under Counter Freezer. This model was immediately removed from sale pending the result of our investigation. Stringent testing procedures have been implemented to ensure all products in the Igenix range conform to the European Ecodesign and Energy Information Regulations.