The EU energy label has changed (as of March 2021). This means anyone shopping for appliances, including boilers and water heaters, will need to familiarise themselves with the new rating system before committing to a purchase.
Choosing a product with a good energy rating not only reduces your carbon footprint, but it will also make you savings in your energy bills over time. So our advice is to always buy the highest rating you can afford.
Here’s everything you need to know about the updated EU energy labels, and what the new ratings mean.
Why has it changed?
The EU energy label has been rescaled to reflect the changing market. With more and more products becoming highly efficient in recent years, old appliance and boiler efficiency ratings (A-G) are no longer applicable.
This is why you’ll have seen ratings that go beyond A, such as A+, A++ and A+++. As more appliances move in this direction, ratings at the bottom end of the scale have become redundant.
A rescaled label helps to make shopping easier, providing customers with a clearer picture of what relative energy efficiency looks like when comparing products.
New appliance and boiler energy ratings
The new scale will return to A to G (so A+, A++ and A+++ will no longer exist). It will also be much harder to achieve an A rating, resetting the benchmark for sustainability and paving the way for sustainable technology advancements in the future.
This means that a refrigerator that was rated A+++ before is now classed as C. When shopping for appliances, be sure to get up to date with the new system as a lot of products will be lower than expected, but this is due to the stricter scale, not performance.
As with the previous EU energy label, the A-G scale will be presented with green as the most efficient, and red at the bottom as the least efficient. So at first glance, the label may appear to be the same.
What else has changed?
In addition to the revised A-G ranking, the label will also provide a QR code. This can be used to access more information on the updated model, helping you understand the changes.
The annual energy consumption will be displayed, as it was before, but icons may look slightly different.
It’s also important to note that information provided on energy labels may differ depending on the product. For instance, refrigerators and freezers may provide total capacity in litres, while washing machines will have maximum load in kg. For many appliances, including boilers and water heaters, you will also see information on noise levels.
Buying energy-efficient appliances
Before buying any new appliance, heater or boiler, be sure to check out the updated EU energy scale. The key thing to note is that the most energy efficient products currently on the market will typically now be labelled as B, C or D.
As well as looking at appliance and boiler efficiency ratings, you should also choose a provider that has sustainability at the heart of its business model. At North East Heating Solutions, we’ve been recognised for our charitable environmental efforts as well as our efficient products.
Our Sunamp hot water system provides an earth-friendly, cost-effective hot water solution for the home (previously rated A++). Case studies show that customers can save at least £3,912 over 20 years by switching to Sunamp.
We’re also proud of our ELKATHERM® electric radiators, considered to be the best and most energy efficient radiators in the world (previously rated A++), saving customers up to 30% or more on their energy bills!
To see if we could save you money, get in touch and book a free, no obligation survey.