STAR RATINGS

The Energy Rating Label is a mandatory comparative energy label. It shows you the energy performance information on a range of appliances and allows you to compare similar appliance models through a star rating of between one and ten stars. It also shows the annual energy consumption in Kilowatt Hours.

THE STARS

When comparing similar sized products the stars are a great way to quickly compare which model will be more energy efficient. The higher the star rating, the more efficient the appliance is.

However the stars do not tell you how much energy the appliance actually uses. This is the purpose of the Kilowatt Hours.

THE KILOWATT HOURS (kWh)

When considering the energy consumption of a household appliance, looking at the Kilowatt Hours (kWh) is key. The kWh rating of an appliance tells you how much energy
the appliance will use per year under standard test conditions. The lower the number, the lower the energy consumption.

With this number we can also estimate the running cost per year of the appliance.

ESTIMATING THE RUNNING COST OF AN APPLIANCE

To do this you simply multiply the kWh’s per year by the cost of a kWh.

For a general estimation of the cost to run an appliance for a year you can divide the kWh’s by 4 (*Based upon $0.25/kWh). So on the example image above, running the fridge for a year would cost around $38 (153 divided by 4).