Energy efficient appliances and equipment in a nutshell

Two initiatives alerting consumers to energy efficient appliances and equipment are the Energy Rating Scheme and the Energy Star Programme.

The Energy Rating Scheme

Many home appliances are rated for energy efficiency and are labelled at the point of sale under the Energy Rating Scheme.

The Scheme is a mandatory* national labelling scheme for:

  • Refrigerators and freezers
  • Clothes washers and clothes dryers
  • Dishwashers
  • Air conditioners

Labelling is not mandatory* for:

  • Televisions
  • Game consoles
  • Set-top boxes
  • Video, CD and DVD players and recorders
  • Computers, printers, and scanners

Energy rating labels look like this:

energy rating sticker

The higher the star rating the fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Ratings range between one and six stars.

The estimated annual kilowatt hour (kWh) electricity consumption is also provided in the red box - and the lower this number is the better.

*According to the Australian Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, 2008

Energy Star

Energy Star is an international standard for energy efficient electronic equipment.

Energy Star reduces the amount of energy consumed by a product by either automatically switching it into a 'sleep' mode when it's not being used and/or reducing the amount of power used when in 'standby' mode.

Energy Star products are:

  • Copiers
  • Computers and monitors
  • Printers and fax machines
  • Scanners
  • Consumer Audio and DVD
  • MFDs - Multifunction Devices
  • TVs and VCRs

The Australian Government and State and Territory Governments are cooperating through the national Energy Star programme to encourage the use of energy efficient equipment at home and in business.

Recommended websites

energyrating.gov.au : Australia's leading guide to choosing an energy efficient appliance. A joint initiative of Commonwealth, State, and Territory government agencies
Australia - Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts: 2009
href="http://www.energyrating.gov.au/

Energy Star : A joint initiative of Commonwealth, State, and Territory government agencies
Australia - Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts: 2005
http://www.energystar.gov.au/index.html

Recommended reading

Appliances
Australia - Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts: 2008
http://www.yourhome.gov.au/technical/pubs/fs64.pdf







Standards

Find Australian Standards for 'Energy Efficiency'

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