European Parliament adopts simpler labelling

The European Parliament has today voted in favour of the final agreement on revisions to EU rules on energy labelling. This will see the reintroduction of a simplified, colour-coded A-G system. While the simplified energy labelling is to be welcomed, the pace of change is unacceptably slow.

Greens/EFA energy spokesperson Claude Turmes comments:

“We welcome the long overdue introduction of clear and simple energy labels which will make it much easier for consumers to understand the efficiency of products. This will be good for the environment and for consumers looking to save money on their energy bills. The planned product database will improve the monitoring of the market and prevent the flooding of the market with junk products."

Greens/EFA shadow rapporteur Michèle Rivasi adds: 

"This is a positive step, but we regret the long transition between the two labelling models and the slower pace of change for many products. For a period of more than 10 years, products such as televisions and dishwashers will have new labels, while items like heaters and boilers will still have the unclear current system. The coexistence of two systems will cause confusion. There is simply no excuse for the implementation to be pushed back until 2030 and beyond. If the EU is to meet its climate commitments, it needs to be prepared to act much more quickly. We hope that the Commission will take action as soon as possible, rather than wait until the last minute, so that consumers can finally see the benefits of this review."

Background

The simplified energy labelling will be a colour-coded A-G system, instead of the current confusing system (with A+ - A+++ etc.). While some of the most common household products, such as dishwashers, fridges, washing machines and TVs will use the simplified A-G scale from 2019/2020 at the latest, consumers will have to wait until as late as 2032 to see the same labels displayed on water heaters and boilers.