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Household appliances not living up to efficiency standard, says research

Household appliances like washer-driers, ovens and light bulbs are not all living up to their energy efficiency labels, according to tests carried out by UK Government department Defra.

Defra did not undertake full legal compliance testing, but tested 24 washer-driers, 24 ovens and 265 light bulbs against their energy labels to get a ‘snapshot’ view.

The results are disturbing. A majority of the washer-driers tested, 16 out of 24, did not perform in accordance with their energy performance labels and four were unable to dry clothes to the required level.

When it comes to light bulbs, three-quarters of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) meet their stated performance standards but 8% labelled at the highest ‘A’ level tested as ‘B’.

Meanwhile, a third of tungsten halogen bulbs did not perform to their energy label standards and some light bulbs did not even have labels, evens though this is mandatory.

Ovens performed much better with only one appliance unable to perform in line with its energy efficiency label.

“When people buy a new household appliance, they need to be confident that if it says it is energy efficient, it will live up to those standards,” says Environment Minister Dan Norris. “Defra have recently appointed a new market surveillance authority to ensure this happens.”

Last month the Government appointed the National Measurement Office (NMO), to enforce the EU’s energy efficiency standards and labels.

The Government is pushing for European authorities to revise and extend the current A-G energy efficiency labelling system for more products, says Norris, although it has in the past criticised plans to add extra A+, A++ and A+++ categories to the system.

For further information:
www.defra.gov.uk/index.htm
http://efficient-products.defra.gov.uk/compliance
www.nmo.bis.gov.uk/

02 December 2009

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