Home Appliance Energy Efficiency Labels

Understanding Home Appliance Energy Efficiency Labels

How much attention do you pay to that multi-colored label featuring on all home appliances when you are trying to choose among the white and black washer? The energy efficiency label is that sticker you found on all refrigerators, stoves, ranges, and dryers, the one many people talk about, but only a few understand.

It’s time for you to get ahead of everyone else and know your appliances. The energy efficiency labels are there for a purpose. That of helping you choose an appliance knowing how much energy they consume or if you want to see it from a different perspective, how much money you can save. That little sticker may include only a few letters and symbols. But it provides a wealth of information to the ones who know how to read these labels, to those who care to save money and supplementary, protect the environment. Interested in understanding the home appliance energy efficiency labels?

How to read the home appliance energy efficiency labels

The energy efficiency home appliance labels include all ratings, from the poorest which is the D to the best, which is A+++ (the more the “+” the better). These ratings are usually colorful with the best portrayed in green (easy to figure out why). And then, you see a bigger symbol in black on the sticker. This shows the energy efficiency of the particular appliance.

The energy efficiency labels through time

The history of the energy efficiency labels is rather short. After all, the idea started in 1995 in an effort to create appliances that won’t hurt the natural environment. And not all home appliances were labeled, only dishwashers, washing machines, refrigerators, and freezers. Overtime, the rest of the home appliances were added to the list. Eventually, all appliances got their own sticker, while it’s important to know that the energy efficiency of each appliance is evaluated compared with appliances of the same kind.

Nowadays, the energy efficiency labels are mandatory, while the ratings change over the years. If you remember, up until recently the higher rating were A appliances. Now, we are talking about a triple +A appliances. But soon, the energy labels are expected to change for the avoidance of confusion between consumers. Instead of having +++, the ratings will range from A (the higher) to G (the lower). But it will take some time before the labels on all appliances change. What’s important to know for now is that the higher the energy efficiency of the appliance, the better for you.

Why are energy labels important when you buy appliances?

The energy labels tell you what you buy. In fact, a few years ago, they put more information on the labels so that consumers would know how much energy is spent by the particular appliance.

Some people have second thoughts about buying energy efficient appliances. Clearly, the higher the energy efficiency the more expensive the appliance. Although, the higher price tag is bad news at first, it means limited expenses in the long run. That’s the whole essence of reading the energy labels. They help you understand how much you are about to save on energy bills. You may pay more now, but you pay less later while at the same time, you help the environment.

It’s no wonder that as of 2012, all fridges had to have a rating of A+ and higher by law. The fridges consume most energy in a household. How much do you save by having an A+++ fridge? Around 70% annually. With an A++ fridge, you save around 40%. All that given that you keep the fridge in a cool place – not right next to the window, and also, properly maintained and loaded.

As you can see, the extra expense with the purchase of a high energy efficient appliance is worth it. You save down the road and also help the environment. If that’s not a win-win, what is?