Your Guide To The New Energy Efficiency Labels

By Author: Daniel Higgins
Total Articles: 9
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When you go shopping for any electrical items or white goods like fridges, freezers, dishwashers and microwaves, you will see that all are now labelled with energy efficiency ratings of some kind. This is because, by law, these products must now be labelled to allow consumers to compare the energy consumption of the products they are buying.

The first label to look out for is the European Union, or EU, energy rating label. These can be found on all white goods and light bulbs. It will give you the exact energy consumption for the appliance in kWh, and a rating as to how efficient this level of consumption is. Products are rated from A++, most efficient, to G, least efficient.

1. Finding a greener fridge, freezer or fridge-freezer is now simpler than ever before as the European Union have ruled that any of these appliances that have poor levels of efficiency, that is grade D or less, must no longer be produced.

2. There is another new label that pertains to boiler systems only. Grading each boiler in terms of its level of energy efficiency, the SEDBUK, or Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers of the UK ...
... label is clearly laid out so it is easy to compare one boiler to another.

3. The SEDBUK ratings are the same as those found on other consumer electronics, that is boilers are rated from A, the most efficient, to G, the least efficient. Regular boiler types only convert around 60 per cent of the fuel they use into heat, whereas condensing boilers convert around 90 per cent, so condensing boilers are preferable.

4.Laid out in much the same way, the BRFC or British Fenestration Rating Council label rates windows as to their efficiency in retaining heat around your home. They use the same colourful label design, with A being the most efficient and E being the least efficient.

5. The Energy Saving Recommended logo label is highly useful when out shopping for consumer electronic goods. Whenever you see this label on a product, you know it is of maximum energy efficiency. Identifying the most efficient appliances can therefore be done simply and quickly.

Each year the Energy Saving Trust examines electrical appliances and chooses those who have been given an A+ energy efficiency rating to mark out as their recommended products. The label is also found on goods that do not have a statutory EU energy rating label.

British Gas are not just the leading gas and electricity suppliers. They can also provide installation services for more energy efficient products such as the Worcester boiler range.