Details for Energy Labelling in Australia

The consumption of energy in Australia is a significant contributor to Australia’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.  Energy use in the average Australian household contributes 8 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year.  Australia’s primary energy consumption and production are continuing to rise.  The major energy using sectors in Australia are electricity generation, transport and manufacturing with the electricity sector having the highest consumption of energy. Over 90% of energy production in Australia is from fossil fuels.  The current rate of global warming creates an essential demand for Australia to invest in new energy assets and policy measures which aim to reduce GHG emissions. Electrical appliances currently account for approximately 40% of GHG emissions and both State and Federal governments in Australia have implemented a variety of energy labelling schemes to try and support a reduction in Australia’s energy consumption. This summary provides an overview of Appliance Energy Rating Labels, The ENERGY STAR scheme, Minimum Energy Performance Standards and Equipment Energy Efficiency Program (E3).

 

Appliance Energy Rating Label:

The Energy Rating Label was first introduced in 1986 in Victoria and NSW. These labels encourage manufactures and importers to improve the energy efficiency of their products and enable consumers to compare the energy efficiency of these appliances. Energy Rating Labels are now mandatory in all states and territories when selling refrigerators, freezers, clothes washers, clothes dryers, dishwashers, televisions, air-conditioners (singe phase mandatory, three phase voluntary) and swimming pool pumps (voluntary). All appliances must meet the criteria of the Australian Standards before they can be granted an Energy Rating Label. A list of available products can be obtained from the http://www.energyrating.gov.au/website.

The Energy Rating Label (Fig. 1) gives 1) a star rating to provide consumers with a quick assessment of the product’s energy efficiency; and 2) a comparative energy consumption value (kW/year) when tested to the relevant Australian Standard. However, air conditioners show the power consumption of the appliance (kW/hour or kWh). The star ratings are determined from the energy consumption and size of the product and values are measured under Australian Standards. The more stars, the more energy efficient the appliance. Starting from 2010, the star rating system has been updated for refrigerators and air conditioners. For these products, super energy efficient products can earn up to 10 stars.

 

a)

b)

Fig. 1: a) Current Appliance Energy Rating Label b) the Appliance Energy Rating Label prior to 2000.

The Energy Rating Label changed to the current label in 2000 (Fig 1a). Prior to this change the label had been the same for almost 14 years (Fig1b). The label was changed so that a tougher standard for calculating star rating could be introduced as many products of the time were achieving the higher end of the scale. The updated system provides a more meaningful guide to consumers and encourages manufactures to keep improving the energy efficiency of appliances. The star ratings of all appliances are reviewed from time to time and the star rating formulae are changed as necessary. For example, as already mentioned the system has just been updated for refrigerators and air conditioners. 

For all appliances covered by the energy labelling program in Australia, the energy consumption per appliance purchased is decreasing. Some examples of this are provided in Table 1.

Table 1: Example of Energy Consumption and/or Efficiency of Products between 1993-2005 due to Appliance Energy Rating Labels.

Appliance

Energy Consumption and/or Efficiency

Refrigerators

Energy consumption decreased at an average of 4.0% per annum from 1993-2005.

Energy efficiency increased by 3.3% per annum.

Clothes Dryers

Energy consumption decreased at an average of 0.7% per annum from 1993-2005.

Dishwashers

Energy consumption decreased at an average of 3.6% per annum from 1993-2005.

Minimum Energy Performance Standards

The Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) set the minimum level of energy efficiency a product must meet for it to be sold in the Australian marketplace. They are regulatory tools used to improve the energy efficiency of appliances and equipment in Australia and prevent manufacturers, importers and retailers from lawfully suppling products that do not meet predetermined efficiency levels. The MEPS scheme is a national (but not federal) scheme which is implemented by legislation in NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria. Legislation is state based as the Australian constitution gives Australian States clear responsibility for resource management issues (including energy). The scheme is mandatory and gives force to the relevant Australian Standards.

The process to develop the MEPS involves consultation of manufacturers and other stakeholders to accurately measure the performance of the unit and form Australian standards. The proposed standards then become open to public consultation and a cost/benefit analysis is conducted. If the cost/benefit analysis is positive, State legislative bodies can enact regulations into law which cite the specific standard.

Minimum Energy Performance Standards have been applied to:

  • household refrigerators and freezers
  • mains pressure electric storage water heaters
  • three phase electric motors
  • singe phase air conditioners
  • three phase air conditioners up to 65kW cooling capacity
  • distribution transformers
  • linear fluorescent lamps and associated ballasts
  • commercial refrigeration systems
  • incandescent lamps
  • compact fluorescent lamps
  • external power supplies
  • set top boxes
  • televisions
  • commercial building chillers
  • close control air conditioners
  • transformers, and
  • electronic step-down converters for Electrowetting Light Valve (ELV) lamps.

In addition, the following products are currently being proposed for regulation in the future:

  • standby power
  • boiling and chilled water dispensers
  • vending machines
  • commercial icemakers, and
  • other lamps and lighting equipment.

Regulations specify the general requirements (including offences and penalties) for appliance MEPS if a party does not comply with the requirements. Technical requirements for MEPS are set out in the relevant appliance standard, which is referenced in state regulations. A MEPS product registration system is administered by state and territory agencies to assist with implementation of the MEPS scheme. The NSW MEPS scheme is briefly summarised below.

New South Wales MEPS Scheme

In New South Wales, the MEPS scheme is implemented by the Energy and Utilities Administration Act 1987 (NSW) and the Energy and Utilities Administration Regulation 2006 (NSW) and is overseen by the NSW Department of Water and Energy (Regulator).

The Regulation divides ‘electrical equipment’ into two categories including 1) electrical equipment that requires labelling and registration with an energy efficiency label and 2) electrical equipment that requires registration but no energy efficiency label.

All Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 electrical equipment must be registered by the Regulator before it can be sold.
 

ENERGY STAR Labelling System

The ENERGY STAR labelling system is a scheme developed to respond to consumer desire for more environmentally sound office products. The ENERGY STAR label was established to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants caused by the inefficient use of energy; and make it easy for consumers to identify and purchase energy-efficient products. It is an international standard for energy efficient office equipment. The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) created the scheme in 1992 and it has since been adopted by other countries including Australia. The labelling system is a cooperative scheme between the Australian Commonwealth, State and Territory governments to encourage the use of energy efficient equipment including computers, monitors, printers, fax machines, scanners, photocopiers, MFDs (Multifunction Devices), TVs, audio products and DVD players. It is managed by the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) and is funded by the Australian and New Zealand Minerals and Energy Council through the National Appliance and Equipment Energy Efficiency Committee (NAEEEC).

Using ENERGY STAR labelled products makes a significant contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gases produced in Australia in addition to saving a lot of energy and money for electricity bills. ENERGY STAR allows for power reductions in products by causing them to automatically switch into a ‘sleep mode’ when they are not being used and/or reducing the amount of power used when in ‘standby’ mode. These days, most office equipment is ENERGY STAR compliant and has the potential to save energy in this way, however not all products have these energy saving features activated. In ENERGY STAR electronics products, energy saving features are already activated.

Using energy efficient office equipment can reduce energy consumption of individual products by more than 50%. For example, ENERGY STAR DVDs, TVs and VCRs consume approximately 75% less energy in standby mode than standard products do; ENERGY STAR copiers and MFDs use approximately 40% less electricity than standard copiers; scanners use approximately 50% less electricity than standard scanners; and audio products save approximately 90% of the energy used in standard models. If all the compatible computers in Australia were ENERGY STAR enabled it would save companies and households more than $200 million in energy costs per year which would reduce GHG emissions by over 2 million tonnes/year; this is the equivalent of taking approximately 500 000 cars off  the road.

In Australia, ENERGY STAR is supported by most major office equipment manufacturers. If it is not immediately clear whether a particular model is ENERGY STAR-compliant, it should be documented in the accompanying manual or can be confirmed by contacting the manufacturer or speaking to a retail sales assistant or supplier. Energy star products can be found from the website: http://www.energystar.gov/. ENERGY STAR products do not generally cost more than regular products, however they do save money over their life span due to their reduced use of energy.  ENERGY STAR compliant equipment can be identified by a sticker on the monitor/machine and/or by a logo which appears when the unit is switched on (Fig. 2). If power saving is not activated on machines, users can enact the power saving devices themselves (step by step instructions available from website above) or seek advice from the company IT manager. 

Fig. 2:ENERGY STAR logo.

Manufacturers, retailers and customers can join the ENERGY STAR program by becoming a partner. This can help promote their organisations by showing that they are environmentally conscience. 

Note: Although ENERGY STAR office equipment provides considerable energy savings, products still use energy whilst in standby mode. To further reduce energy consumption, consumers should be encouraged to turn off equipment at the power point.

 

Equipment Energy Efficiency Program (E3)

The E3 program is a co-funded program with the Australian Commonwealth Government, state and territory governments and New Zealand Government. It focuses on initiatives that require a nationally consistent framework to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse emissions from household appliances and residential, commercial and industrial equipment.

E3 covers the technical, legal, and administrative aspects of the mandatory minimum energy performance standardsand energy efficiency labelling. The Energy Efficiency Team is developing voluntary programs to accelerate acceptance of 'energy smart buying' when consumers choose new electric motors systems, air conditioning systems, commercial and home lighting and other items.

 

Additional Information

For further information about energy labelling or ways to improve energy use, the following links and/or publications could be looked at:

Money isn’t All Saving E3 publication:

http://www.energyrating.gov.au//library/pubs/200212-standby.pdf

 

Retail information:

http://www.energystar.gov.au/pubs/infobrochure.pdf

 

Plus: Refer to the Green Office Guide for More Energy Saving Tips for the Office

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