New household goods to meet energy efficiency grade

Published Date: 03 April 2009
By Jenny Haworth

FRIDGES, freezers, televisions and washing machines are to have minimum energy standards and energy labels following an EU ruling.
Minimum standards will ensure that only energy-efficient products are sold in the European market. Mandatory energy labelling will help consumers choose the most efficient products for their homes.According to the Defra these measures will reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the UK by about 2 million tonnes a year. They will also deliver a net benefit to the UK economy of about £150 million annually, mostly in the form of reduced householders' annual energy bills. It is the first time that minimum energy efficiency standards and labelling have been set for televisions. It will be brought in from mid 2010. Labelling has appeared on white goods for ten years but has not been updated in that time.Lord Hunt, Defra minister for sustainability, welcomed the move, but criticised the labelling being difficult to understand.