Energy labelling household appliances, lighting sources and air conditioning appliances provides consumers with information about the energy consumption of the appliance.
The EU energy labelling scheme for household appliances is a compulsory scheme with requirements that all appliances subject to the scheme must be energy labelled.
The energy labelling scheme places requirements on dealers and suppliers.
The following household products are covered by the scheme:
• Refrigerators, freezers
• Dishwashers
• Washing machines
• Tumble dryers
• Combined washer/driers
• Electric light bulbs
• Electric ovens
• Air conditioners
The scheme only covers new appliances, not used.
The energy consumption of products can be read on a scale from A to G, where A means the lowest energy consumption. In mid-2004, two new levels in the scale were introduced for refrigerators and freezers - A+ and A++. Therefore, refrigerators and freezers with the lowest energy consumption are now labelled A++.
The EU is working continuously on energy labelling and more types of apparatus will be labelled as time goes by.
Save energy and money
When replacing and renewing electricity-using appliances, it is advisable to take note of an appliance’s energy consumption, as there can be great differences in the amount of energy consumed by individual products. Energy labelling can advise the consumer about a product’s energy consumption. There is often money to save by choosing an energy-efficient appliance, if you include the difference in energy consumption and do not just look at the acquisition cost.
The notion behind energy labelling energy-using appliances is that consumers can then see how much energy and water an appliance consumes and how good an appliance is at doing its job. This will help you choose an appliance with low consumption which is cheap to operate. The energy labelling on light bulbs and other light sources shows amongst other things how efficiently the various light sources use energy. So, you can save money and at the same time do something good for the environment.
Rules about energy labelling
The energy-labelling regulations are the same for all the EU Member States, and they are controlled by EU directives. The energy labelling scheme has been implemented in Denmark by lov om fremme af besparelser i energiforbruget (Act on promotion of savings in energy consumption) and a series of executive orders for each appliance. [acts and regulations]. The executive orders contain provisions regarding which appliances are covered, as well as the obligations of the dealers and suppliers and the authorities of the supervisory authority.
Who does what
The Danish Energy Agency is the authority for EU energy labelling in Denmark and it is responsible for ensuring compliance with the regulations. Parts of the administration of the energy labelling scheme have been delegated to Energy Labelling Denmark, which carries out inspections of shops and follows up control tests of appliances.
Other important players:
- Delta Lys og Optik is responsible for testing light sources.
- The Danish Technological Institute is responsible for control tests of white goods and air conditioning systems.