From 20 June
consumers will see a new energy saving rating label when buying
TVs, washing machines, dishwashers and fridge freezers to help
make the right choice on what product is best for the environment.
And to raise awareness of the new rating system Environment
Secretary Caroline Spelman has launched a campaign to help
consumers choose the most efficient product which will save them
money and lower their carbon footprint.
UK consumers are less likely to buy energy efficient appliances
than others in Europe4 and the new campaign is designed to inform
consumers of changes to these labels ahead of them becoming
mandatory from 20 June 2011.
Launching the campaign, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said:
'Consumers want to make the right decisions when buying
new goods that use less energy and bring down household bills.
These new energy saving ratings will help people make the right
choice when out shopping for TVs and white goods by choosing those
which are rated the darkest green on the labels.'
The European Energy Label includes a rainbow of coloured bars and
an indicator showing how well that product performs. The labels
currently run from A-G, with A being the best and displayed as
dark green, and G the worst, depicted as red. The new labels will
see the introduction of A+ and A++ so that products that have gone
the extra energy saving mile gain more credit. As products become
more energy efficient, higher categories of A+++ may also be added
to the rating scale. But the colours of the label will remain the
same, so dark green will always indicate the most energy efficient
products, even if it is not always 'A'.
As well as the band indication, the labels will also have figures
such as the amount of energy that the product uses (kWh). The
lower this figure is, the less energy the product uses.
More products will also carry this label in the future, like
boilers and vacuum cleaners and energy saving ratings will also
appears in adverts and not just at its point of sale.
Notes to editors
1. You can find out more about energy labels in the Environment
and greener living section of Directgov, here: www.direct.gov.uk/energylabel
2. In conjunction with retailers, Defra has developed a
toolkit of communication materials including a poster, leaflet and
a film to explain the changes to the label. The film can be viewed
here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqIVmxd_XMM
3. Energy saving ratings have been around since the mid 90s
and make it easy for customers to compare the efficiency ratings
of different products. It compares like with like, so rather than
all fridges being graded against each other, it is just fridges of
similar size.
4. 'Factors influencing the penetration of energy
efficient electrical appliances into national markets in
Europe': http://bit.ly/ehZHxu
Public enquiries 08450 518486;
Press notices are available on
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