Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, an energy rating label or energy rating is a label affixed to various appliances prior to retail sale, which allows consumers to compare the

energy efficiency Energy efficiency may refer to: * Energy efficiency (physics), the ratio between the useful output and input of an energy conversion process ** Electrical efficiency, useful power output per electrical power consumed ** Mechanical efficiency, a ra ...

of product and allows consumers to know how much power a particular model will use to run. They allow consumers to compare the energy consumption of similar products, and factor lifetime running cost into their purchasing decision.Labelling Overview
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This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia licence
The energy rating label is a mandatory comparison label under Australian regulations for store sales but not for products sold online. The label comprises an energy consumption figure for the appliance and a star rating. The energy consumption figure is an estimate of how much energy (in

kilowatt-hours A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bil ...

or kWh) the appliance will use over a year, based on assumptions about “average usage”. However, actual energy consumption will depend on how an appliance is used and how often it is used. Factors like climate can also influence energy consumption (and efficiency) for some appliances. The energy rating label usually incorporates an

energy star Energy Star (trademarked ''ENERGY STAR'') is a program run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that promotes energy efficiency. The program provides information on the energy consumption of pro ...

label, which is an endorsement label that is not regulated by the Australian Government. It is an international standard for energy efficient consumer products that originated in the United States. Appliances and equipment that qualify to carry the energy star mark are generally in the top 25% most energy efficient products. In Australia, the label is used for office equipment and home electronics. New Zealand uses the energy star label for a much wider range of products such as whitegoods, lighting, heating, water heating and windows.

History

The label was introduced in 1986 in the Australian states of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

and later its use was extended to all states and territories. A mandatory, national labelling scheme was agreed to in 1992. Australia was the third country to establish such a system, after

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. An

International Energy Agency The International Energy Agency (IEA) is a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organisation, established in 1974, that provides policy recommendations, analysis and data on the entire global energy sector, with a recent focus on curbing carb ...

survey revealed that compliance by retailers showing the labels was raised from 94% in 2001 to 98% in 2009.

References

# http://www.energyrating.gov.au/about/what-we-do/labelling This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia licence # https://web.archive.org/web/20110601175054/http://www.energyrating.gov.au/history.html Commonwealth of Australia. 2 February 2009. Archived from the original on 1 June 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2011. # http://bigpondnews.com/articles/National/2010/10/12/Energy_rating_labels_succes_524831.html. Bigpond News. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 11 June 2011.

External links

Energy labelling
at the Australian Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency
Energy rating labels
at the New Zealand

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) is a New Zealand government/Crown agency responsible for promoting energy efficiency and conservation. The EECA was set up by the Fourth National Government of New Zealand in 1992 to encourage, ...

Energy rating labels
at EECA Energywise Energy conservation Energy in Australia Energy in New Zealand Environment of Australia Environment of New Zealand Ecolabelling 1986 introductions {{australia-stub

History

See also

References

External links