The next section lists other measures that can improve the energy efficiency of the property. Although there is less information about potential costs and savings, these alternatives can be something to consider, if you have more time and financial resources available to you. The UK government has committed to matching and even exceeding the EU's eco-design standards. Today the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) published a summary of responses to a recent call for evidence on energy-related products. For dishwashers it shows the number of place settings, water use per wash, duration of said wash, and noise level (both in dB and on a A to D rating scale).

As Eco Buys are based on our testing, you can be sure it's realistic to how you actually use your appliances. For example, our surveys have shown that most use their washing machine at 40u00baC, so we based our testing on that. The official A-G energy rating is mostly based on 60u00baC washes, so doesn't give as good an indication of how efficient it will actually be.

In November, Which? launched the first environmental appliance label in the UK. It's currently on dishwashers and washing machines, with plans to add Eco Buys to more appliances later this year. For refrigeration it has the capacity of chilled and/or frozen compartments in litres and the noise. For washing machines and washer-dryers it has the capacity, duration and water consumption of the eco 40-60°C program, as well as a A-G rating of the spin dry and noise rating of how loud the final spin is. This could help feed in more ambitious eco-design policy into the forthcoming energy-related products policy framework that the Prime Minister outlined in his 10 Point Plan . These costs are just for your heating, hot water and lighting. The EPC doesn’t include any additional energy costs from your home appliances (such as the cost of running your fridge, oven, TV) so in reality your energy bills will be a bit higher. However, the costs shown can help you compare properties and see which building could be cheaper to run.

To decide if an appliance deserves an Eco Buy, we combine our rigorous testing with the results of our consumer surveys. Only the longest-lasting brands in our annual surveys and only the most efficient appliances, as measured in our independent energy and water use lab tests, make the grade. That means for tumble dryers, ovens and other electronics missing out on this label change, the UK has the freedom to either join the EU plans to update these in 2022, or make its own changes sooner, later or not at all.It also shows the potential rating if you carry out all the suggested improvements. In this example, you can see that the home could jump from band F to B with the recommended energy efficiency upgrades. However, in accordance with the Northern Ireland Protocol, EU eco-design and energy labelling will have to continue to apply in Northern Ireland. Consumption is presented either as kWh per year, kWh per 1,000 hours or kWh per 100 cycles, depending on the product group. For TVs it shows the energy rating and consumption when displaying HDR content (if it has this feature), as well as the screen size and height and width in pixels.