EU sets new energy standards for TVs, appliances

A new EU ruling sets new minimum energy standards and energy labelling requirements for refrigerators, freezers, televisions, washing machines and central heating system circulators.

The new standards aim to ensure that only energy-efficient products are sold in Europe.

The measures are expected to help the UK reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by about 2 million tonnes per year. They’re also likely to result in annual energy cost savings of around £150 million.

This marks the first time that minimum efficiency standards have been set for televisions. Other appliances have received energy labels for the past 10 years, but standards have not been updated during that time.

Under the new system, the current A category will be expanded to include several new classes: A-20% (20 percent more efficient than the current A standard), A-40% (40 percent more efficient) and A-60% (60 percent more efficient).

“I’m delighted that the EU has joined together to save consumers money and help save significant amounts of energy and carbon dioxide emissions by introducing these minimum standards,” said Lord Hunt, Defra Minister for Sustainability. “It is disappointing though that we could not agree to update the labelling system that we know consumers understand and have confidence in. We now have a job to do in working constructively with consumers, retailers and manufacturers to ensure that consumers are able to easily identify the most energy efficient appliances available.”