One in five energy-using products across Europe do not match their energy efficiency claims, according to the Energy Saving Trust. This follows findings from European Commission-funded research which revealed that up to 20 per cent are non-compliant with energy efficiency standards, such as energy labeling. According to estimates, this is leading to around ten per cent of the potential energy savings stated being lost by millions of products across Europe, including ovens, fridges, washing machines, dishwashers, televisions and computers.
One in five energy-using products across Europe do not match their energy efficiency claims, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
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This follows findings from European Commission-funded research which revealed that up to 20 per cent are non-compliant with energy efficiency standards, such as energy labeling.
According to estimates, this is leading to around ten per cent of the potential energy savings stated being lost by millions of products across Europe, including ovens, fridges, washing machines, dishwashers, televisions and computers.
Now, the Energy Saving Trust will be independently purchasing and testing energy-using products across Europe to verify the energy saving claims made by manufacturers. This is part of a product surveillance programme, known as MarketWatch, to make sure consumers are getting the best deal through fully compliant energy-using products that match their energy saving claims in real-life situations.
The three year programme will carry out over 300 inspections in shops and 300 in online stores, checking a total of 25,000 products to see if they are properly labeled. To verify the true energy efficiency of products, 100 partial lab tests will be carried out, followed by 20 independent lab tests.
Philip Sellwood, chief executive at the Energy Saving Trust, says: "Consumers are wising up to the monetary savings of using the best and most efficient products – they're trying to do the right thing but need to be rewarded properly through the savings stated being realized.
"That's why we aim to be the eyes and ears for UK consumers to ensure energy efficiency claims by product manufacturers are true and will save them money on their energy bills. We need to address the fact that consumers across Europe are not maximising the energy saving benefits stated by millions of products.
"There is an obvious need to recoup any potential savings through establishing more rigorous market surveillance and standards across energy efficient products and labelling. The European Commission has recognised that this energy wastage is a problem and is keen to ensure a compelling climate of compliance across all aspects of energy efficiency.
"From our perspective, it's clear that any labelling needs to be accurate, easy for the consumer to understand and displayed clearly in retailers across Europe. What we will be doing through our work is establishing how improved market surveillance, energy efficiency labelling and product standards can have the most impact and ultimately lead to greater savings for the UK consumer."
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Energy efficiency image via Shutterstock.
