Household appliances in the shop carry an EU energy label. This can help when selecting particularly energy-saving models. But this choice does not always have to make sense.
A frequently given tip for saving energy is: If you need a new household appliance, you should buy an energy-saving one. Preferably one from the high energy efficiency classes.
But what does that actually mean?
Many household appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers, refrigerators and freezers as well as televisions, monitors and lights carry an EU label. It is often just a small label with a scale with color gradations and classes from A to G. This is intended to tell the buyer how economical the product is with electricity.
The greener the better. Green stands for high energy efficiency, with yellow and red marking it is correspondingly worse. The classification from A to G is a bit more complicated: in 2021 it was adjusted so that future development steps of the devices in terms of energy consumption can still be mapped.
The most recently highest energy efficiency classes A, A and A have been abolished for many devices. The highest energy efficiency class is now just A.
Important to know: refrigerators and freezers, for example, which used to be at the top with an A, can now be found in classes C or D at most. So they are not worse than before.
In this way, space has been created at the top - for new, even more economical devices. "The best class A initially remained free, so that manufacturers would have an incentive to further increase the energy efficiency of their devices in the future," explains Claudia Oberascher from the HEA - specialist association for efficient energy use.
This means: Depending on the device group, it may be the case that no A-devices can be found in the meantime, or there are only very few of them.
How can I orient myself alternatively?
"Anyone who attaches particular importance to the fact that the new device consumes as little energy as possible should pay particular attention to the information on energy consumption and compare several devices," advises Claudia Oberascher.
By the way: The EU label not only provides information about power consumption and energy efficiency, but also about other purchase criteria, such as size, water consumption, spin class and volume of washing machines.
Does it have to be the best class at all or is a cheaper device from a lower class worthwhile?
"With the best efficiency class, the power consumption is the lowest. Whether a purchase is economical depends on the household appliance and the actual power consumption," says Martin Brandis from the energy advice service of the consumer advice center. Especially with devices that run for a long time or constantly run through, such as refrigerators, washing machines and dishwashers, the expert advises orienting yourself in the upper range.
Because the differences between the efficiency classes can be significant. "Fridges and freezers with the D label, for example, have a significantly higher consumption than those with the C rating," says Brandis. "This is already having a strong impact with the currently high energy costs in continuous operation."
In the case of refrigerators and freezers, the differences in consumption between the individual classes account for around 20 percent, according to Claudia Oberascher. But there is another tip for saving: Smaller households should not buy devices that are too large. And question whether second and third devices are necessary.
Whether an older household appliance should be exchanged for a new one for cost reasons is an individual decision. "It cannot be said in general: If a device is 20 years old or older, you should consider replacing it," says Claudia Oberascher.
But there is a rough guide: "Ten years ago, anyone who bought a good fridge freezer, washing machine or dishwasher in a high efficiency class can assume that these appliances are still relatively economical today." Things could look different if they already had a poorer efficiency class back then.
Energy consultant Martin Brandis advises using a consumption meter to determine the exact power consumption before replacing an older device. "If it's not far above the value specified for current models, you don't necessarily have to buy something new."
The information provided by the manufacturers on the energy label can sometimes differ significantly from their own measurements. This happens particularly often with washing machines and dishwashers, they often consume more. One reason: "All the information on the energy label refers to the Eco program," says Claudia Oberascher. "Anyone who uses other programs usually needs more energy."
It is similar with television sets. "Here, the label usually refers to the delivery status of the devices," says Martin Brandis. If this is changed and the brightness increased, for example, the power consumption can increase immensely.
This shows: the bottom line is that energy labels are tools for selecting devices - and therefore also for saving electricity. Consumers can use it to assess whether a device is particularly economical or not.
Whether it actually brings the desired savings often depends heavily on user behavior. Claudia Oberascher's conclusion: "If a device is to be economical, economical programs must also be selected."
