EU low-energy rules

Following an EU ruling, fridges, freezers, televisions and washing machines are to have minimum energy standards and energy labels.

Minimum standards will ensure that only energy-efficient products are sold in Europe.

Mandatory labelling will help consumers choose the most energy-efficient products for their homes, which will help reduce their energy bills.

Circulators - the small pumps used on central heating systems - will also have new minimum energy standards applied.

The measures will reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the UK by around 2 million tonnes a year.

They will also deliver a net benefit to the UK economy of around £150m a year, mostly in the form of reduced householders’ annual energy bills. 

This is the first time that minimum energy efficiency standards and labelling have been set for televisions.

Labelling has appeared on fridges, freezers and washing machines for 10 years, but has not been updated in that time.

The scheme will mean that the current A category will have new classes added above it, such as A-20 per cent (20 per cent more efficient than the current A standard), A-40 per cent (40 per cent more efficient) or A-60 per cent (60 per cent more efficient).