Understanding the water & energy ratings on home appliances

For a number of years most countries have a policy of requiring domestic appliances to be issued with a water & energy rating to allow consumers to easily compare the efficiency of different appliances. In Australia their are 2 seperate departments that manage the ratings,  Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency (Energy Ratings) and the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communitiesis  (Water Ratings) are responsible for managing the process of labelling appliances with the respective star ratings.

The water & energy lables are designed to assist consumers in their purchasing decisions. The labels should look something like the images below.

When reading the energy labels there are 2 different areas that they provide you information to assist your in making most resource & cost efficient decision for your next purchase:

1. The Number of Stars - The number of stars is a quick overall assessment of either the water or energy rating for the appliance itself. This is really a quick "rule of thumb" guide.
2. The Exact Resource Usage Calculation - The Litres per wash or kilowatts (kWh) per year rating is the numbers in the middle of the label. This is the exact measurement of the rating for the machine.

How to use the Labels

Purchasing a new machine is not as simple as finding the best priced, highest star rating machine.  Both the water & energy ratings have a significant flaw in their assessment process. The general star ratings are not based on the relative star rating to the appliance in the way in which it may be used but rather against all appliances in of that type.

For example, lets consider the 4 washing machine examples below:

	5 kg Front Loader	5kg Top Loader	8kg Front Loader	8kg Top Loader
Water Rating	4.5 Stars	3.5 Stars	2 Stars	1.5 Stars
Ltr/wash	10 ltrs	13 ltrs	15 ltrs	18 ltrs
Energy Rating	4 Stars	3 Stars	2 Stars	1 Star
kWh/yr	300 kWh	350 kWh	400 kWh	450 kWh

You might think that the 5kg Front loader is obvisously the most energy & water efficient choice. This is completely based on that way in which you use your washing machine.

A family of 5 (2 adults & 3 children) would end up doing approximately 3 times the number of loads per year in a 5kg front loader than a 8kg top loader. They will need to do more washes to clean all the clothes than if they had a larger machine.

Water Rating Comparison
If we needed to conduct 300 washes per year in the 5kg Front Loading machine wheres you might only need to do half that in an 8kg machine.

5kg Water Usage = 300 washes x 10 ltrs = 3000 ltrs
8kg Water Usage = 150 washes x 18 trs =  2700 ltrs

Therefore the 8kg Top Loader is 9% more efficient than the 5kg front loader in actual use for our family.

Energy Rating Comparison
The energy rating comparison is based on the amount of electricity used to conduct the exact same number of washes per year. Therefore if we know that our family is going to 2 twice the number of washes in their front loader compared with the larger front loader then they must use twice the electricty!

5kg Electricity Usage = 300kWh x 2 = 600 kWh
8kg Electricity Usage = 450kWh x 1 = 450 kWh

Therefore the 8hk Top Loader is 25% more efficient for our family!

However many consumers are confused by the star rating labels and assume that because the 5kg machine has a much better star rating than the larger top loading machine that it is more efficient for them.

If we were purchasing a washing machine for single person household and they were only going to do 1 wash per week then our numbers would be different again and the 5kg machine would definitely be more efficient for the year. The key here is to choose an appliance that suits your needs and then within that bracket select the most energy efficient for the price!

Quality & Life of the Appliance
There is 1 more factor that is left out of the equation in these labels and that is the quality of the appliance how long it is expected to last. If you select a 5 star machine that only last 2 years and then you have to throw it out and buy another one, then you are adding to landfill & pollution which effects both our overall carbon footprints, enerygy usage and polutes our water ways. Whereas a 3 star machine that last 20 years, is still more efficient!

I suggest following the points below when considering your next purchase:

1. Select a range of appliances that suit your needs - size, quality & style.
2. Now consider the water & energy ratings - make sure you do your figures and compare like for like. Take a calculator with you if you need (the salesman will think its for the price and probably give you a better price anyway)
3. Buy the best manufacturing quality appliance you can afford - you will never regret buying the best manufactured appliance you can get your hands on. It will cost you significantly less in the long run and save both energy and water(for washing appliances).

If you need help in making a decision, speak with your local appliance specialist or servicemen. At Aussie Whitegoods Rescue we are regularly asked about the best appliance for new houses or to replace existing appliances. We are only too help to assist you in making the best decision for your next purchase.