A guide to the EU’s new energy label

The EU will implement new and revised energy labels from the 1st of March 2021. The new energy labels are meant to make it easier for consumers to choose the most energy efficient oven, dryer, or, perhaps most important of all, wine cooler!

The energy labels tell you how much energy a product such as a wine cooler uses compared to similar products. The new energy labeling scheme applies for all domestic appliances sold within the EU.

What’s new?

Both the old and the new energy labeling schemes rank the products’ energy classes on a scale from G to A (A being the most energy efficient). New innovations in technology have led to products being much more efficient than they were 5-10 years ago. This means that they can no longer be measured on the same scale. The Energy Label scale has therefore been reset to more clearly show the difference in efficiency between today’s products.

The new energy labeling scheme takes away energy classes A+, A++ and A+++ and makes it harder for a product to reach energy class A.

It is only the range itself that will change. However, small differences in values such as annual energy consumption may occur due to new calculation and testing methods implemented by the EU. The product itself remains the same. 

The new energy labeling scheme leaves room for manufacturers to improve the energy efficiency of their products in the coming years, and there will be no products classed as “A” to begin with.

Some products will not be able to live up to the new energy labeling scheme, however these products may be sold with the old energy labels until the 1st of December 2021 after which they will be discontinued.

From Sunday 1 November 2020, manufacturers have been required to place both the old and new versions of the label in product packaging. This dual labelling period will take place until Monday 1 March 2021, after which only the new label will be used.

Learn more about the new EU energy labeling scheme:

Enerylabel.org.uk

The new energy label (example)

Quick take

The EU will implement new and revised energy labels from the 1st of March 2021.

The new labels, which will appear in high street and online shops from March 2021, will feature a new, simpler range: A to G.

It is only the range itself that will change. However, small differences in values such as annual energy consumption may occur due to new calculation and testing methods implemented by the EU. The product itself remains the same.