It Pays To Watch Your Energy Efficiency RatingThe EU Energy Label has made it easier to leave that energy-guzzling household appliance on the shop shelves and opt for a more economical and environmental version by indicating to consumers a product’s energy efficiency rating. From 2012, it will be possible to use the same strategy when buying a house. The energy label has been around since the mid-1990s to help consumers make educated choices regarding the energy consumption of household appliances. The label rates the efficiency of a range of products including fridges, freezers, ovens, dishwashers and lamps on a scale from A to G. Products are colour-coded from the best-performing, dark green ‘A’ class to the poorest-performing, red ‘G’ class. The Energy Label also shows the water consumption and noise level of a washing machine, or the light output of a light bulb, for instance.Energy ratings have so far only been provided for select electricity-using household appliances. But a revision of the EU’s Energy Labelling Directive extended the application of the label to energy-related products which have a significant impact on energy consumption during use. In future, the obligation to label a product with its energy-efficiency rating will therefore also apply to items such as construction products, window glazing or frames, and outer doors. Moreover, the new directive will change the existing rating scale by adding new classes - A+, A++ and A+++ - on top of the highest ‘A’ class from June 2011. Household fridges and freezers already have three ‘A’ categories (A, A+ and A++) in place.The reform was meant to account for the fact that technical development has slowly brought most products into the highest class. It was, however, criticised by consumer organisations for misleading people, as an A-class sticker might then not necessarily indicate a high-performer. Whether information about the new ratings will be available easily enough to help consumers continue to make the most of the labels remains to be seen. The label has in any case proven a useful and recognisable means to choose products that help consumers to make savings on their energy bills. Just as it pays to compare the energy rating of appliances, this will soon be possible when buying or renting a house as well. New EU legislation requires the energy efficiency rating of a house to be shown to a prospective tenant or buyer and published in sales advertisements from 2012. UK sellers are already obliged to commission an energy performance certificate. But this will now become an active energy label for houses as potential buyers will receive the information upfront on the ‘for sale’ board. On the A-G energy efficiency rating scale, the average home in England currently ends up in band D or E. The Energy Saving Trust found that in 2008, 17% of English homes were in the lowest F and G bands. But the good news is that 84% of these homes can be brought up to band E standard for less than £3,000 by changing to a modern condensing boiler or installing basic cavity wall and loft insulation, it added. To read more about related topics, please follow these links:
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