New energy efficiency labels explained

What has the Commission adopted? When will consumers see them in shops? What do the new labels look like?

The Commission has today adopted the final format and visual identity of new energy efficiency labels for 6 product groups:

5 product groups of household appliances with "rescaled" labels: dishwashers; washing machines and washer-driers; refrigerators, including wine storage fridges; lamps; electronic displays, including televisions monitors and digital signage displays. A new labelling product group for refrigerating appliances with a direct sales function (also known as “commercial fridges”) used in shops and vending machines.

These new labels will be visible for European consumers in physical stores and on-line as of March 1^st 2021. A specific EU-wide information campaign aimed at EU citizens will be launched in 2021.

A new element in these labels is a QR code with which consumers will be able to get additional, official (non-commercial) information by scanning the code with a common smartphone. This data is being inserted by manufacturers into the EPREL EU database which will become available to any European citizen in the next few months. The private sector and different NGOs are also in the process of coming up with apps that will further assist in the purchase choice (e.g., by helping to calculate the return costs and compare different products).

Depending on the product, the energy labels will display not only electricity consumption, but also other energy and non-energy information, with intuitive pictograms, to compare products and perform a better informed purchase choice: information about water used per washing cycle, storing capacity, noise emitted, etc.

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