Star ratings

The energy used by major appliances will impact significantly on your electricity bill for years to come, so it makes sense to consider energy efficiency before you buy. The higher the star rating, the more energy or water efficient the appliance, which means lower running costs and fewer greenhouse gas emissions produced.

About Energy Rating Labels

The Energy Rating label for electrical and gas appliances shows you how efficient the appliance is and how much energy or gas it uses each year (or each hour, in the case of air conditioners).

Energy Rating Labels have several aims:

• To help you make an informed decision about the appliance you are purchasing.
• To encourage you to purchase the appliance that needs the least energy.
• To enable you to take into consideration the annual energy cost of running the appliance.
• To encourage manufacturers to improve the energy efficiency of the products they supply.

How much energy will you be saving if your appliance has an extra star?

• For washing machines each extra star saves around 27% more energy
• For clothes dryers each extra star saves around 15% more energy
• For dishwashers each extra star saves around 30% more energy
• For fridges and freezers, energy reductions vary from 14 to 23%

Air conditioners have separate ratings for heating and cooling, so try to choose a model that has a higher rating in the area that suits your needs. In Brisbane, the average air conditioner is used for about 600 hours of cooling and 100 hours of heating per year.

About Water Rating Labels

All new shower heads, taps, flow controllers, toilets, washing machines and dishwashers are required by law to be labelled with Water Efficiency Rating Labels. After December 31 2007, these items, whether new or second hand, will be required to have a Water Efficiency Label.

The label provides a zero to six star rating of how efficient the item is in relation to water usage, with more stars being more efficient.

The label is similar in appearance to the energy label. In fact, both water and energy labels will be present on items like dishwashers and washing machines.

As with the Energy Rating label, you should always try to select the most water efficient item. With prolonged droughts, it is likely that the cost of water is going to increase, so any water saving steps that you can take now will save you money in the long run and help reduce water consumption.

You can save just by selecting a three-star rated item over a two-star rated item. For example:

• A washing machine (6kg load capacity) can save 40 litres per load.
• Dishwashers use 15% less water per star.
• 3-star rated showerheads save between three and seven litres per minute.

Nowadays you can also get water star rated taps and toilets. A three star rated tap will save you about three litres per minute over a two star rated tap. Likewise, a three star rated toilet saves three litres per full flush, and one litre per half flush over a two star rated toilet.