How do I read an appliance energy label?

The energy label is the most useful piece of information attached to a large appliance and the most widely misread. Two things cause almost all the confusion. First, the letter grade is relative — it compares a machine against others of the same type and capacity, so a large A-rated appliance can use more electricity in total than a small C-rated one. Second, the scale was rescaled in 2021: the A-plus, A-double-plus and A-triple-plus grades were removed and everything was rated again on a stricter scale, deliberately leaving the top classes almost empty so there is room for future improvement. Nothing got worse; the ruler changed.

What you'll need

• Your electricity unit rate from your own bill
• The labels or online listings for the models you are comparing

Step by step

1. Check the model identifier at the top of the label first.Manufacturers sell near-identical variants with different ratings, often through different retailers. Make sure the label you are reading is for the exact model number you are buying, suffix included.
2. Read the letter as a class, not as an absolute.It compares the appliance against others of the same type and roughly the same capacity. A large A-rated fridge-freezer may still use more total electricity than a small C-rated one. Use the letter to shortlist within a size, and the kilowatt hour figure to compare across sizes.
3. Understand the 2021 rescale before comparing with an older machine.The plus grades were abolished and everything was re-rated on a stricter scale, with the top classes left deliberately hard to reach. A machine that was A-plus-plus under the old scale typically sits around D or E under the new one. If you are comparing a new label against an old listing or a second-hand appliance's original rating, this is the trap.
4. Take the kilowatt hour figure and multiply it by your own unit rate.This is the only field that becomes money. Washing machines and dishwashers are quoted per 100 cycles, so divide by 100 for one cycle. Fridges, freezers and dryers are quoted per year. Multiply by your own pence-per-kilowatt-hour figure to get a real cost, and compare that between models.
5. Scale the figure to your own usage.The kWh per 100 cycles assumes a specific number of cycles a year. If you do four washes a week, that is about 208 cycles a year, so double the per-100 figure. Doing this is what turns a label comparison into a household comparison.
6. Read the water figure on washing machines and dishwashers.Litres per cycle. On a water meter it is a real cost alongside the electricity, and over ten years the difference between an efficient and an inefficient machine is substantial. On an unmetered supply it does not affect your bill.
7. Look at the noise figure and its class.Decibels, with an A to D noise class. This is the field people ignore and then live with for a decade. In an open-plan kitchen, a flat or a house where the machine runs in the evening, a few decibels is the difference between background and intrusive. Below about 70dB on a spin is quiet; above 76 is noticeable.
8. Check the capacity and the programme duration together.Capacity in kilograms or place settings, and the duration of the tested programme. Efficient machines achieve their figures partly by running long, cool eco programmes. A three-hour eco cycle is genuinely more efficient and it may not fit how you live, and if you never use it your real consumption will be higher than the label.
9. Remember the figures come from the eco programme.The tested programme is a standardised eco cycle, which is slower and cooler than the ones most people actually select. Real consumption is usually higher. The label is still an excellent comparison between machines, because every machine is tested the same way — it is a poor absolute prediction.
10. Scan the QR code for the full data.Current labels carry a QR code linking to the appliance's entry in the official EPREL product database, which holds the full test data and technical documentation rather than the summary on the label. It is the authoritative record if a retailer's listing looks wrong.
11. Set the difference against the price difference.Annual kWh difference times your unit rate times the years you expect to own it. Compare that with the price difference between the models. For a fridge or freezer running continuously for fifteen years, the efficient machine often wins outright; for a rarely used second appliance it usually does not.

Tips

• Comparing kWh figures directly is more useful than comparing letters, and it is the only way to compare across different sizes of appliance.
• For a fridge or freezer, the annual kWh figure over fifteen years is a large number. It is the appliance where the label most deserves attention.
• The noise class is worth as much as the energy class in a flat or an open-plan kitchen, and it costs nothing to check.
• If you will never use the eco programme, weight the label figures accordingly and look for a machine whose normal cycles are also efficient rather than one that only shines on eco.

Common mistakes

• Comparing a new label's letter against an old A-plus-plus rating — The scale was reset in 2021 and the plus grades removed. An old A-plus-plus machine typically maps to around D or E on the current scale, so the comparison suggests a decline that did not happen.
• Treating the letter as an absolute measure of consumption — It is a class within a size and type. A large A-rated appliance can consume more in total than a small C-rated one, which matters when you are choosing what size to buy at all.
• Taking the label figure as what the machine will actually use — It is measured on a standardised eco programme that is slower and cooler than most people's normal selection. It is an excellent comparison and a poor prediction.

Questions people ask