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How to choose an economical home appliance: we understand the labeling from A to G

Choosing the right home appliance can be a tricky task, but understanding the energy efficiency labeling from A to G is a great way to make a smart decision. This five-step guide explains how to identify the most economical appliance for your needs, allowing you to make an informed choice based on energy efficiency without sacrificing performance. The guide outlines the advantages of each grade, from A being the most efficient and G being the least efficient, and also provides useful tips on obtaining further information or asking questions before making the final decision.

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With the onset of 2014 on the territory of the Russian Federation, the list of devices has expanded, the documentation for which must necessarily contain information about their energy efficiency.

How to choose economical home appliances. Understanding the markings from A to G

Recall that from 2011 to the present, it includes:

  • household refrigerators;
  • household freezers;
  • household washing machines;
  • household air conditioners and electric air coolers;
  • household dishwashers;
  • household electric lamps designed for lighting devices (incandescent and low pressure fluorescent lamps).

The coming new year added three more positions to this list:

  • televisions;
  • household electric ovens (and not only as a separate device, but also as part of kitchen electric stoves);
  • passenger and freight-passenger elevators (it should be noted that only elevators for transporting people are subject to marking, industrial-oriented options are not included in this paragraph).

Previously, computers were also included in this list, but then they were excluded. But this does not mean at all that, having come to the store, it is impossible to find such products with the appropriate marking. Most manufacturers provide this information on a voluntary basis, especially if it promotes the sale of more expensive equipment with not very high performance..

But, as often happens with us, due to the lack of information, when choosing a particular device, buyers simply do not pay attention to the corresponding labels. Most people, of course, know that the letter A is better than G, but few can imagine why and how big the difference is. And when it comes to A + or “super A”, then many are completely lost. Not to mention those cases when equipment is purchased in European or American online stores – there you can see not only A +, A ++ and even A +++, but also the Energy Guide. Let’s take a closer look at what all this means..

Technique from A to G

In Russia, classes are assigned to household appliances in accordance with the rules approved by the Ministry of Industry and Trade back in 2010.

So the following division is provided for refrigerators:

Energy efficiency class Energy efficiency index (ratio of actual annual energy consumption to standard)
AND does not exceed 55%
IN 55-75%
FROM 75-90%
D 90-100%
E 100-110%
F 110-125%
G over 125%

For washing machines, division is somewhat simpler and does not require additional calculations:

Energy efficiency class Actual energy consumption with a load of one kilogram of laundry in a standard program
AND not higher than 0.19 kWh
IN 0.19-0.23 kWh
FROM 0.23-0.27 kWh
D 0.27-0.31 kWh
E 0.31-0.35 kWh
F 0.35-0.39 kWh
G over 0.39 kWh

Machines with the function of drying clothes have a slightly different division into classes:

Energy efficiency class Actual energy consumption with a load of one kilogram of laundry in a standard program
AND not higher than 0.68 kWh
IN 0.68-0.81 kWh
FROM 0.81-0.93 kWh
D 0.93-1.05 kWh
E 1.05-1.17 kWh
F 1.17-0.39 kWh
G over 0.39 kWh

The same information can be found about any other equipment subject to mandatory labeling..

Technique of classes A, A + and A++

However, new technologies already today make it possible to produce ultra-economical devices. So for refrigerators, the same rules provide for two more additional categories A + and A ++. For the first, the energy efficiency index will be from 30% to 42%, and the second will include units with an index not exceeding 30%. As a consequence, for class A, the range remains from 55% to 42%. But this is only what concerns refrigerators and Russian legislation..

If purchases are made in online stores in Europe or America, then you should know their division into energy efficiency classes..

The European labeling is the easiest to compare with “our” by the example of all the same refrigerators. Currently, the following division operates on the territory of the European Union:

Energy efficiency class Energy efficiency index
AND+++ does not exceed 22%
AND++ 22-33%
AND+ 33-44%
AND 44 – 55%
IN 55-75%
FROM 75-95%
D 95-110%
E 110-125%
F 125-150%
G over 150%

It should be noted that the division into classes in force today will not be relevant for so long and will soon be slightly changed (July 1, 2014). The new version will impose stricter requirements for the A + class, namely, the energy efficiency index will not exceed 42% (instead of the current 44%).

When buying other equipment, you also need to know that the class is defined somewhat differently. For the same washing machines in Russia, the cotton program is used at 60 degrees with a load of 1 kg, and in the EU the maximum load is considered, as a result, the values ​​in kWh will be different, and the equipment will fall under the same class.

For those who do not want to go into details, we can summarize that the equipment of low European classes will be “more voracious” than equipment with the same Russian classes, but it is impossible to buy it in the EU. As for the high classes, the division, with rare exceptions, will coincide.

There is also a completely different system for assessing the cost of electricity by equipment. It is called, as noted above, Energy Guide. This system is used in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The presence of the EG mark on the device means that it is included in the 25% of the most economical of all possible options. Although the presence of this sign does not at all exclude the European label with the usual letters – the same United States successfully uses both systems.

In addition to the mandatory labeling, some global brands use their own designations. For example, Bosch uses the additional designation Green Technology inside, which means energy savings and the use of extremely environmentally friendly production. Domestic manufacturers sometimes use the “Super A” marking, the law does not stipulate such symbols, but it can be assumed that this designation is used when they “fell short” a little to A+.

Meanwhile, in Russia, the requirement to inform the buyer is rather strict, and the presence of additional signs does not at all exempt the manufacturer from mandatory energy labeling. Fines for failure to comply with these requirements are substantial.

Impact of the degree of energy saving on quality

The lack of information in Russia gives rise to some rumors and legends. For example, there are some misconceptions that economical technique is not that effective. Class A and B washing machines are usually considered, the second, in the opinion of many, will wash better. However, this is not always true. In Russia, a wider marking of washing machines is used, consisting of 3 letters:

  1. Energy efficiency.
  2. Washing quality.
  3. Spin quality.

As a result, the AAA technique will have excellent properties and at the same time will save energy, but after washing machines marked as AGG, you will not only have to dry the laundry for a long time, but also rewash it in case of serious dirt.

The same three-digit markings are used for dishwashers:

  1. Energy efficiency.
  2. Washing quality.
  3. Drying quality.

When evaluating refrigerators, such a gradation is not required: the usable volume of one and the other can be assessed visually, and any additional options such as “frost-free” are taken into account even at the stage of determining the classes by applying coefficients. As a result, class A can include both small single-chamber versions and huge advanced models with a bunch of additional functions. Of course, the second model will consume many times more energy, but the class will be assigned the same as that of the economical “baby”.

As for TVs, here too the energy efficiency class is assigned in a similar way. So the economical categories can include both small compact devices with a minimum of power consumption, and plasma the size of a wall floor.

At the same time, in Europe, they are more concerned not with the quality of economical products, but with their cost. Today, many companies do not initially imply long-term use of the same device. So, having bought a TV today, in a couple of years you will probably want to replace it with a newer and more modern model, thereby not having time to recoup the overpayment for class A with savings in electricity bills..

The West has made attempts to introduce, in addition to energy labeling, a “life cycle price” or LCC. It reflects the real costs for the entire period of use of the product. For example, a G-class refrigerator will have a small starting price, but when a significant annual energy bill is added to it, after a few years it will outperform its economical A-class counterpart in terms of costs, since the increase in electricity will be an order of magnitude lower.

As a consequence, it only makes sense to overpay for the energy efficiency class if you really intend to use the item for a long time, otherwise the real cost savings will not be achieved..

Due to the fact that the world does not stand still and our life is filled with more and more energy consumers, and energy, not only alternative, but also the main one, can no longer fully satisfy the demand, the government cannot turn a blind eye to this. This is how laws are born calling to save electricity. Like Europe, Russia may soon restrict the production and import of particularly “gluttonous” electrical appliances, as happened with incandescent lamps. By the way, the European Union introduced a ban on the sale of goods of classes F and G for a relatively long time, and products with a label below B have serious restrictions on the sale.

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Comments: 1
  1. Riley Foster

    Could you please explain how to interpret the labeling system (A to G) for home appliances to ensure that we select the most economical option? What factors should we consider while making a decision based on this labeling?

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