We all know the A-G Energy Label rainbow. From the top, it starts with the A-rated green bar of a highly energy-efficient product, moves through the D-rated yellow bar of medium energy efficiency, and down to the E-rated red bar of energy inefficiency. 

Claude Turmes, Luxemburgish Member of the European Parliament (MEP) said the appliance producers “may have qualified themselves for next year's 'Worst EU lobbying awards' for their misleading campaign”. But with this vote, “they fortunately failed to secure a system that would continue to grant an A grade efficiency label to virtually all of their products.”

This political deadlock can now only be solved through a negotiation between EU decision-makers, in the framework of the revision of the Directive for Energy Labelling. In the meantime, the European Parliament has managed to block the new label for televisions, but failed to do so with the proposed new label for fridges. Therefore, it is as if the European Parliament had sent two contradictory messages. This unprecedented political situation, due to the nature of these votes and the different numbers of votes required, should not hide the fact that a majority of MEPs has expressed strong doubts about the industry way.

And Environmental NGOs and the Cool Products Campaign insist that this political imbroglio should not delay the adoption of other important energy efficiency measures on products.

You probably wouldn’t show off a new boiler to friends when they come round for dinner. The bulky, might we say rather uninspiring, machine is purely functional. While it provides your home with heat and hot water, no matter how useful it is the boiler just doesn’t hold the same appeal as the latest flat screen TV or the hottest new PC. But boilers have the potential to provide great value to the consumer. In fact an energy efficient boiler could become your prize appliance by single-handedly slashing your energy bills and reducing your household green house gas emissions.

After the March votes by European experts on fridges, televisions, washing machines and the A-G energy labelling system, boilers and water heaters will be up for consideration in the coming months. Once again, there is great potential for significant reductions in both green house gases and household energy bills. In fact these machines that we use to heat our homes and our water contribute 25% of total carbon dioxide emissions in the European Union.

The proposed energy efficiency measures could be much more ambitious. Take for example a medium-sized water heater. The models currently on the market have an average energy efficiency of 35%. That means approximately two thirds of the energy used to run a water heater is lost. More technologically advanced models have efficiency levels of 50%. Unfortunately, the proposed measures require a level of only 36%.

Industry lobbies have exerted pressure and succeeded in weakening the measures that will soon be voted on. To bolster their case for weaker requirements, lobbyists have pointed to reluctant consumers who are apparently loath to pay for more efficient heaters. On the contrary, recent surveys show that Europeans are highly concerned about climate change and believe the European Union can do more to combat it. What is more, as with more efficient TVs and fridges, consumers stand to gain from more energy efficient boilers and water heaters with savings on their utilities bills.

EU Officials bump up energy efficiency for domestic appliances but cave in to industry pressure on energy labels

[Brussels, 1 April 2009] - European environmental NGOs (EEB, Inforse-Europe, Friends of the Earth Europe, Natuur en Milieu and ECOS) welcome this week’s vote by Member States on energy efficiency measures under the Ecodesign of Energy-Using Products (EuP) Directive [1] but fear the level of ambition is insufficient in a time of climate crisis. In addition, EU officials have rushed through a rather confusing revision of the format for the Energy Label for household appliances which will now corrupt the simple A-G system that is currently in place and widely recognised throughout Europe. [2]

The votes on fridges [3], televisions [4] and washing machines will force manufacturers to produce more energy efficient appliances that have the potential to cut CO2 emissions by about 20 Million tonnes (Mt) per year by 2020 (like taking up to 10 million cars off the road each year). However, consumers would have saved even more on their energy bills if the adopted measures had reached their full potential of 30 Mt of CO2 savings. In addition, EU officials caved in to industry pressure and avoided rescaling the famous A-G Energy Label, instead choosing a new system that runs the risk of misleading consumers and has not been tested.

Edouard Toulouse, Ecodesign Officer at environmental group ECOS said: "An ambitious Ecodesign policy and a crystal-clear Energy Label for consumers are vital tools to make our lives sustainable and bring CO2 emissions down in the most cost-effective way." He added: "Televisions and fridges were very iconic tests for these policies. We expected bolder ambition." NGOs are also worried that the two products to come next under these policies - boilers and water heaters, with enormous CO2-cut potential and the same level of emissions as the transport sector - may not deliver enough [5].

Nathalie Cliquot, Product Policy Officer at the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) added: "Industry pressure prevented EU decision-makers from going for the greenest options and ensuring energy inefficient products are clearly flagged with simple A-G labels." She continued: "At least there will be a serious review of these instruments in 3 to 4 years, but in the meantime we must continue to explain why these policies are so important through the ‘coolproducts’ NGO campaign." [6]

Contacts:

Nathalie Cliquot, Product policy officer at the European Environmental Bureau (EEB)
, +32 (0)2 289 10 97 (French, English)

Edouard Toulouse, Ecodesign officer at ECOS (coordinating the input of Environmental NGOs in these policies)
, +32 (0)2 289 1096 (French, English)

Gunnar Boye Olesen, INFORSE-Europe
, +45 86 22 70 00 (Danish, English)

Notes for Editors:

[1] The EuP and Energy Labelling directives aim at setting minimum environmental performance and consumer information requirements on products sold in the EU. The EU aims to become 20% more energy efficient by 2020. Ambitious eco-design rules have the potential to cut Europe’s CO2 emissions by 450 million tons per year by 2020 - equivalent to the emissions of all European cars.

[2] The EU has revised the well known A-G energy label layout and introduced it for new product categories. Energy Labelling has been one of the most visible and successful EU-wide tools to inform consumers and achieve energy efficiency. However, the current revision adds confusing new classes named "A-20%", "A-40%", instead of rescaling the label to reflect how products have meanwhile become more efficient, so that the "A" grade remains the top of the class.

[3] Fridges and freezers. Despite technological progress in the past, substantial energy savings are still achievable. Also, the growth in appliance size and stock has annihilated part of the previous gains. The current electricity consumption of the domestic fridges and freezers stock on the market is 100TWh.

[4] Televisions: The environmental impact of TVs is an increasing concern. Without very serious policies, the yearly energy consumption of the European stock is expected to increase by 70 TWh in the next 10 years - representing as much as the overall household consumption of Italy. Lack of recyclability and recycling of flat screens is also a serious environmental issue.

[5] For more information on the large potential for energy savings and CO2 emission reductions in the heating products sector, please see this NGO briefing: "EU Ecodesign policy for boilers and water heaters, a huge and underestimated opportunity for climate policy "

[6] A coalition of environmental NGOs launched the "coolproducts" campaign on 12th March 2009. On the day of the launch, partner groups organised a "penguin refugee camp" in front of the European Commission. In addition, Avaaz delivered a petition signed by 116,829 citizens (which has meanwhile increased to 140,000) to the EU Commission asking for more stringent energy efficiency requirements for products sold in the EU.