Energy ratings
Most electrical appliances will have an energy rating label with a star rating on it. This is to allow customers to see how energy efficient a product is. The more stars, the more energy efficient an appliance is. This is particularly important as the world starts to feel the effects of climate change because electricity consumption is one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions into the atmosphere. As well as being better for the environment, more energy efficient products are cheaper to run because they use less electricity.
The number in the red box is the energy consumption measure of the product, expressed in kilowatt-hours. The number corresponds to the amount of electricity (kWh) the appliance will use over the course of a year.
Energy Rating Label (Source: www.sa.gov.au)
Money Matters
In a perfect world, we would all use the most energy efficient products. However, appliances with better energy ratings are also usually more expensive to purchase. Have a look at the example of similar washing machines in the table below:
Prices and specifications taken from www.harveynorman.com.au (October 2013)
Investigation
Find the energy rating for your fridge, washing machine, dryer, television and air conditioner and rank them in order of efficiency.
Use the Internet to find similar products with better energy ratings. Discuss whether prices on more energy efficient items will reduce or increase over the next five years. What are some of the factors that will impact the price of more energy efficient products?
*Cover photo taken from en.wikipedia.org