New household appliances are designed to provide maximum comfort and ease of use. But what is the impact of new generation appliances on the environment and what is their real energy expenditure? Today, the home appliance industry is making a significant contribution to sustainability and the circular economy . The new devices on the market are equipped with important features that focus on sustainability and energy efficiency.
This article takes an in-depth look at::
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ERP Directive and energy labelling
The ERP directive, an acronym for Energy-Related Product, was issued by the European Union in 2009 and contains a set of rules for the eco-design and reduction of harmful emissions of energy-related products.
The regulation was created with the intention of regulating the construction of all devices that involve the use of energy by providing eco-design requirements. This results in careful control of the production steps of a household appliance: from raw materials, processing method, transport and sale, to recycling or disposal of the components themselves.
As a result of the ERP eco-design directive, clear and visible energy labelling has been made mandatory on all household appliances.
Energy labelling is established according to accurate calculation procedures defined by the European Commission and allows the efficiency level of each appliance or system to be compared and measured in order to assess its performance. As of March 2021, a new energy label comes into force: a necessary revision from an energy-saving point of view.
According to EU estimates, the legislation for energy labels and eco-design will save around 230 Mtoe by 2030.
The update included a return to the A - G reclassification without specific "+" signs to make it easier to read the consumption class, ensuring transparency and clarity of information for the consumer. In addition, a QR-Code has been added to be scanned that links to the EPREL (EU Product Database for Energy Labelling) database to access all device specifications, including data sheets and comparative tables on consumption.
The revision of the energy label is designed to introduce more challenging criteria for manufacturers, encouraging companies to improve product performance through the introduction of increasingly efficient technologies.
Green and environmentally friendly household appliances
While the new measures of the energy labelling regulation can be seen as the driving force behind the technological advancement of domestic appliances, at the same time new trends in consumption have also impacted on the new production methods of household appliances.
According to a survey carried out by LG and GFK in 2021 on the topic of Household appliances and energy-saving, it emerges that 75% of Italians, following the pandemic, pay more attention to sustainability in their purchasing choices and care about maintaining a low environmental impact. Today, in fact, environmental protection is one of the pillars that help guide consumer choices. Household appliances, being responsible for a large percentage of household energy consumption, are considered the type of product that should be sustainable most of all.
Hence, new devices on the market are equipped with innovative features specifically designed to improve sustainability and energy efficiency: consumption and bill costs are reduced.
These are the sustainable household appliances, technological devices equipped with automation systems that save energy and time. For example, eco-friendly dishwashers and washing machines are designed with systems that detect the degree of dirtiness of dishes and clothes in order to adapt the washing cycle in terms of the amount of water and energy needed for an optimal result. The latest models on the market also offer the possibility of connecting the power supply of the washing machine or dishwasher directly to the hot water, avoiding further consumption of electricity to heat it.
In conclusion, a green household appliance, in its own small way, can make a difference in the fight against climate change: the choice of the most suitable model based on consumer needs is crucial.
SLIM supports technological progress and is alongside the players in the supply chain: it makes its contribution in the field of sustainable light signalling to companies in the sector in the ongoing energy transition.
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