We are working with Youreko using their Energy Savings Tool to make it even easier for you to see the energy efficiency of our appliances in terms of pounds and pence, helping you make sustainable choices that save you money! Look out for the tool on laundry, dishwasher and refrigeration products.
1. Products in the market are reviewed daily from major UK retailer and manufacturer sites.
2. The lifetime energy cost is calculated for all products
3. The tool shows the lifetime energy savings for each appliance, compared to like-for-like models in the market. This saving is how much you will save in energy bills by choosing this appliance vs. the average in the market.
The tool displays an energy saving compared to the least efficient like-for-like model in the market. For example “£297 energy saving” is shown when viewing a 10 kg washing machine, compared to the least efficient 10 kg washing machine in the market. This allows you to immediately see what the difference in energy savings is for 10 kg models.
Youreko gives each appliance one of five medal ratings based on their energy savings when compared with the running costs of like-for-like appliances in the market: Best of the Best, Gold, Silver, Bronze or Good Value. For example the tool shows “Gold for energy savings” when viewing an 8 kg tumble dryer, compared to all 8 kg tumble dryers in the market. This allows you to see at a glance which are the best rated 8 kg tumble dryers for energy savings.
Most efficient product in market with lowest running cost in category
Lowest 20% of running costs (dark green range)
Lowest 40% to 20% of running costs (light green range)
: Lowest 60% to 40% of running costs (yellow range)
Highest 40% of running costs but nothing cheaper to run
Products are loaded from the market daily. New products are usually added to the database in 1-2 days.
Information from official sources is used to calculate the initial average lifetime energy cost of a product that is shown.
Power consumption. This is taken directly from the product fiche published by the manufacturer.
Average usage. The average usage for different categories is taken from a report by the Energy Saving Trust.
Average lifespan. The average lifespan for each category is also taken from a report by the Energy Saving Trust.
Average tariff. This is taken from data published by ARERA.
Average annual tariff increase. This is taken from Eurostat, historic data for tariffs over the last 10+ years is reviewed to determine the average annual increase in electricity costs.
To see the actual values you can click on the help icon (?) in the tool.
Here is an example calculation of the operating cost in year one for a washing machine:
| Description | Value |
| (A) Power consumption | 0.625 kWh per cycle |
| (B) Usage | 284 cycles per year |
| (C) Tariff | 46.03c per kWh |
| Electricity cost calculation | (A * B * C) / 100 = 81.70 € |
The annual increase in electricity costs over 11 years is then applied, which results in a lifetime energy cost of 979.21 €.
All of the savings, ratings and comparisons are based on like-for-like products, which in general terms is the size or capacity of a product. Examples of classifications:
Dishwashers. Classified by size: compact, slimline or full size.
Freezers. Classified by type and capacity: chest 100-199 litre, chest 200-299 litre, undercounter, upright 100-199 litre, upright 200-299 litre, etc.
Fridge freezers. Classified by type and capacity: 50/50 100-199 litre, 50/50 200-299 litre, american 500-599 litre, american 600-699 litre, etc.
Fridges. Classified by type and capacity: larder undercounter, larder 100-199 litre, larder 200-299 litre, ice-box undercounter, ice-box 100-199 litre, ice-box 200-299 litre, etc.
Tumble dryers. Classified by capacity: 7 kg, 8 kg, 9 kg, 10 kg, etc.
Washer dryers. Classified by wash capacity: 7 kg, 8 kg, 9 kg, 10 kg, etc.
Washing machines. Classified by capacity: 7 kg, 8 kg, 9 kg, 10 kg, etc.
It’s essential to compare like-for-like as, for example, it does not make sense to compare the running costs of a 6 kg washer with a 10 kg washer, as the larger capacity washer is likely to use more energy.
For refrigeration, as there are no standard sizes, products are sub-categorised by type and capacity for comparison. For example, it doesn’t make sense to compare a larder fridge with a model that has an ice-box, because freezers use much more energy. Similarly it doesn’t make sense to compare a 50/50 split freezer with a 70/30 split, as the model with 50% freezer will use a lot more energy than the one with 30% freezer.
We use the least efficient product for two reasons. Firstly, the cheapest products are generally the least efficient and as many of us tend to buy cheap to save money, this represents a good benchmark for comparison.
Secondly, one of the best ways to understand how energy efficient a product is compared to others, is to see where it sits in the range for all products in the market. By comparing with the least efficient model, you can see just how wide the range of energy costs is for different products and where a particular product sits in the range.
When you open the tool for the first time you will see the range of lifetime energy savings. If you want to see the energy costs you can simply click on the ‘Show energy costs’ button.
