New European energy labels must ensure lower energy bills

Following in the footsteps of the competent committee, the whole European Parliament has now also given the green light for new European energy labels for electronic devices. “These are intended to steer consumers towards choosing the most energy-efficient products more quickly,” says MEP Anneleen Van Bossuyt. “That will allow them to make savings more easily on their energy bills.”

The new system gets rid of the existing grades with the plus signs and comes into force starting in 2019. From then on, there will just be a scale from A to G. “This intervention, which seems small at first glance, is intended to ensure a drastic drop in European energy consumption,” says Anneleen Van Bossuyt. According to the European Commission, the annual savings at European level will be roughly equal to the combined annual energy consumption of Italy and the Baltic States. “That being said, we must continue to focus on lower energy consumption, independent of truly energy-efficient device purchases. This change in mentality has not yet permeated Europe in its entirety,” the MEP expresses with concern.

Simpler system

The gradual introduction of the new labels is intended to give retailers and manufacturers the time to make all the necessary adjustments. “Of course, the intent is not and cannot be to saddle them with sky-high administrative burdens. With these new rules, the whole system will become simpler,” Anneleen Van Bossuyt predicts. “For example, a central database will be introduced for the whole Union instead of 28 national systems.”