Classification of household electrical appliances by the level of energy consumption was introduced in Europe in the mid-90s. In Russia, since 2011, such marking must be mandatory on large household appliances, which include refrigerators, washing machines and dishwashers, electric stoves and ovens, freezers, air conditioners and heaters, televisions, microwave ovens, electric lamps and water heaters. Each household appliance must have a sticker indicating the energy class. Similar information is duplicated in the passport.
The energy class is indicated by Latin letters from A to G. The most economical class A appliances, the highest energy consumption of class G appliances. Recently, a new generation of ultra-low consumption household appliances has appeared, it is designated as super A, A +, A++. For ease of perception, the letter designation corresponds to a certain color. Energy class A is indicated in bright green, class B in light green, D in yellow, G in red.
To make it clearer,what role this parameter plays, consider refrigerators - they work almost around the clock, and their share in electricity consumption is tangible. To determine the class, they take the actual value of electricity, established experimentally, and divide it by the standard value, which is determined by a complex formula with many components. For class A, this ratio is 42-55%, energy class B - 56-75%, C - 76-90%, D - 91-100%, classes E, F, G - above 100%. For super economical models A+, A++, A+++ - less than 41%. As you can see, economical models consume three times less electricity than the standard.
For air conditioners, the energy consumption class is determined by two indicators: the ratio of the produced cold and the electricity spent at the same time, and the same ratio only for heating. For dishwashers, water consumption is a priority. For washing machines, this parameter is determined based on the energy consumption per kilogram of washed laundry. When determining the energy consumption class for ovens, their volume and current consumption are taken into account; for TVs, the ratio of energy expended to the screen area is calculated.
The use of high-end electrical appliances will significantly save on electricity bills, however, the cost of models with a high energy consumption class is much higher. This is due to the use of more modern, technologically more complex, and therefore more expensive elements.
Choosing new equipment, except for design, manufacturer, dimensionsand power, pay attention to the energy class. In addition to significant budget savings in paying electricity bills, the ubiquity of efficient technology will reduce the cost of natural resources, many of which are non-renewable. This, in turn, will slightly improve the environmental situation, which is getting worse year by year.
