A study conducted by MarketWatch has found that “one in five home appliances tested by consumer and green groups consumes more energy than claimed on packaging”.
MarketWatch is a Europe-based consumer group focused on testing everyday electrical appliance for energy efficiency and these latest figures come as the result of a three year-long study. The research was part funded by the European Commission and was run “by a coalition of European civil society groups”.
The research found that a large number of products failed to meet the standards set by the EU Ecodesign Directive and Energy Labelling Directive – both introduced in order to cut down on energy use, lowering customers’ bills to a target average of €465 a year, as well as reducing carbon emissions across the board.
According to MarketWatch, “over €10 billion worth of energy savings are lost each year from manufacturers and retailers not following EU product rules”.
The investigation looked into various basic household appliances including fridges, dishwashers, washing machines and lightbulbs among others.
18 of the 100 products tested were found to use more energy than advertised, including a vacuum cleaner that exceeded its stated usage by 54% and a refrigerator exceeded it by 12%.
MarketWatch’s Jack Hunter said: “Consumers are getting less bang for their buck than what they think. The authorities have clearly got more work to do to protect consumers and the environment from products that are using more energy than advertised.”
Dr Fanoula Ziouzia of the Energy Saving Trust, one of the bodies who led the study, said that the sample of appliances used may not be wholly representative, but that the problems highlighted by the research were no doubt present.
“While this was a targeted sample,” she said, “we suspect as many as one in ten household appliances sold today consumes more energy than the manufacturer states. This could be misleading for consumers and could result in higher energy bills – and true product cost – than they would anticipate.
“For example, the difference between stated and actual energy consumption for one fridge freezer tested could mean it would cost £31.61 more to run over the course of its lifetime. If other products in a household also incorrectly state consumption, this could add up to a sizeable unexpected bill for householders.”
A spokesperson for the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances (AMDEA) did her best to do away with any suggestions that manufacturers had been deliberately misleading consumers in order to make their products appear to meet EU regulations.
“Our members are very committed to this legislation and have spent a great deal of money on ensuring that their products are more energy efficient. They would argue that they have had a lot of success in doing that” she said.
While, even according to the most pessimistic readings of the study, the majority of appliances did comply, it seems that the manufacturers ‘argu[ing] that they have had a lot of success’ does not entirely match up to the facts of the matter.
However, 12 of the 18 companies investigated and found to be failing on accurately reporting energy usage did enter into constructive dialogue with MarketWatch and the EST and are working on offering productive solutions to the issues raised.
