Australia: That plasma is about to get an energy rating

All home appliances will soon have to conform to a strict new 10-star energy efficiency rating system, the federal Minister for the Environment, Peter Garrett, said yesterday.

Power-hungry plasma televisions and computers will have to carry new labels so customers can compare efficiency claims, and national three-yearly reviews of household energy use will be undertaken.
The changes are likely to revamp a whitegoods industry in which highly efficient products often do not make it to Australia because of a lack of awareness.

Many fridges, dishwashers and airconditioners on sale overseas would already carry the equivalent of nine- or 10-star ratings under the present system.

“It will give manufacturers an incentive to continually improve their products and give consumers accurate information when making purchasing decisions,” Mr Garrett said at the International Solar Cities Congress in Adelaide.

Details of the plan are yet to be released but the Herald understands new labels for fridges and airconditioners will come in next year once the design is worked out. Focus group work has found that people who believed they had energy-efficient appliances may be mistaken because the labels are often several years out of date.

The Age