Europe Proposing Mandatory Energy Use Labels for TVs

The European Commission Tuesday proposed energy use labels for TVs and upgraded the existing labeling program for refrigerators, dishwashers and washing machines. TV labeling is expected to result in yearly savings of 15 terawatt hours of electricity by 2020, the Commission said. The environmental impact of TVs in the European Union is significant, and it’s interest mainly stems from their electricity consumption in the on mode, the commission said. TV energy use makes up 10 percent of the average household’s electricity bill, it said.

TV sales are increasing and their screen size is growing, but there’s no “reliable, easy-to-understand” information available on their energy use for customers to act on, it said. A Commission study showed the best way to improve the “environmental performance” of TVs is to make them more efficient in the on-mode. The study also said “cost-effective” technologies exist to reduce energy use of TVs, but they aren’t “penetrating the market” because there’s little awareness of the power consumption of the devices. Also, the energy use of TVs hasn’t been a “decisive factor” in purchasing decisions of consumers because of lack of information about their power consumption, it said. As a consequence, there are few incentives for manufacturers to “optimize” the energy use of TVs, the Commission said.

The labels would initially rank TVs on an A to G scale with A representing the most efficient sets and G the least. If a manufacturer achieves a better ranking than A, he could show it on the label as A+, the Commission said. The mandatory labeling format would be upgraded every three years starting in 2014 and additional energy efficiency classes A+, A++ and A+++ will be added to the label, it said. The proposed labeling program for TVs is supported by all players and member states, it said.

With 90 percent of refrigerators, dishwashers and washing machines sold in the EU now rated A, there’s need to introduce new classes of A+, A++ and A+++ for better performing products, the Commission said. The covered appliances represent one third of a household’s electricity bill, it said, so use of the new labels will have a “positive impact” on consumers’ household expenses.”