The Equipment Energy Efficiency (E3) Committee published Greening Whitegoods, a report examining the energy efficiency trends of whitegoods in Australia from 1993 to 2009.

The report covers five major consumer appliances (refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, clothes washers and dryers), using sales data to show how key energy and water efficiency attributes of whitegoods have changed over time.

This report highlights that energy consumption for all whitegoods has decreased over the period from 1993 to 2009. For example, since the Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and Energy Rating Labels were imposed during the 17 year period, the energy consumption of household refrigerators has decreased at an average of 3.1 percent per year.

This report demonstrates that the E3 Program is delivering an effective program to reduce energy consumption of appliances, delivering greenhouse gas abatement and economic savings to the community. However, while this report provides data that can be used to evaluate the impact of MEPS and Energy Rating Labels, it does not quantify these program impacts.

MEPS and Energy Rating Labels are tools used by the E3 Program to reduce the energy consumption of equipment and appliances. MEPS are also regulatory tools to remove the most inefficient products from the market. Energy Rating Labels assist consumers to compare the energy efficiency between similar products of domestic appliances but importantly the Labels also encourage manufacturers and suppliers to continually improve the efficiency of their product. MEPS and Energy Rating Labels have been used together to reduce the energy consumption of refrigerators and freezers, while only Energy Rating Labels are used for clothes washers, clothes dryers and dishwashers.

Author: Energy Efficient Strategies

Information from: the Equipment Energy Efficiency Program (E3), a collaborative initiative involving all jurisdictions in Australia and New Zealand