Energy label

Slovenian households consume approximately 3 billion kWh of electric energy annually, or almost one third of all produced electric energy in Slovenia. For various electrical appliances and for illumination we consume approximately 1.8 billion kWh. This does not include water heaters and electric heating devices. of this amount three quarters is consumed by household appliances and illumination. The largest consumers of energy are refrigerators and freezers which consume over 700 million kWh a year. In Slovenia the average age of fridges and freezers is over ten years. The most sophisticated refrigerators compared to the 10-year old appliances consume up to 40 percent less energy. This is also true for other household appliances so it is very important that the consumer is informed with energy consumption data, regulated by the energy label rules.

Energy label was developed in the countries of the European Union where it has been used for over ten years. In Slovenia the application of energy label is legally obligatory since June 1, 2002. The label comprises information in regard to energy consumption and operating efficiency of the appliance, which are different depending on particular appliance groups. It is a fact that economical appliances are not always necessarily efficient, so these two data are marked separately. Energy label contains also the logotype of the manufacturer and the appliance model. Data are distributed so that particular appliances of different manufacturers may be easily compared. Comparison and compatibility of information is assured by relevant standards which determine measuring procedures and assessment of results, printed on labels.

Results of measuring energy saving are classified in seven classes, from A - the highest efficiency, to G - the lowest efficiency. They also differ by colour code indicating energy efficiency. On oven energy labels, aside from energy saving data there are also information in regard to heating mode and oven capacity, on washing machines the label contains information regarding the effect of washing and required washing time and spin efficiency, drum load, water consumption and noise level. The label on tumble dryers contains numbers regarding drying time and noise level, dishwashing appliances indicate washing and drying effects, number of crockery sets and water consumption, and refrigerator-freezer appliance label carry information regarding capacity and number of freezer stars.