How to read the stars

The stars on the Energy Rating Label show you at a glance how energy efficient an appliance is. 

It makes it easy to compare appliances that are the same size and type — such as two 8kg clothes dryers.  

Appliances can achieve a rating of up to 10 stars, but for some appliances a rating of 4 or 4.5 stars can be very good. Scroll down to find out how many stars each appliance type needs to be considered the ‘most efficient’ in its category.  

Energy consumption

The energy consumption number tells you how much electricity the appliance is likely to use in a year. You can use this number to calculate how much the appliance will cost to run. 

To work out the costs, check your power bill to see how much you pay per kilowatt hour (kWh) for electricity. If you don’t have a power bill handy you can use the national average (30c per kWh). For example, if the appliance has an energy consumption of 180 kWh per year, and you’re paying 30c per kWh, it will cost approximately $54 per year to run that appliance (180 x 0.30 = 54).

Which products have Energy Rating Labels, and what’s a good rating?

Compare appliances

The efficient appliance calculator makes it easy to find the most energy-efficient and cost-effective appliances to suit your needs. 

Browse and filter products to create a shortlist and compare your options.

How efficient appliances make a difference

Using electricity more efficiently means you are using less energy and saving money on your power bill. This allows our country’s renewable energy sources to go further, and frees up capacity in the electricity system.

In the last 12 months, regulation of these electric appliances in New Zealand has saved businesses and consumers 1.53 PJ of energy (that’s equivalent to the yearly energy use of 36,000 homes), $37.2 million, and 32,000 tonnes of carbon emissions.

Can’t see a label? 

If you don’t see an Energy Rating Label on a display model in store, ask the retailer. Legally, the retailer must display them on regulated appliances. (Note that high performance monitors are not regulated and therefore don’t have Energy Rating Labels).

On a retailer’s website, the label itself may not be displayed, but you should be able to find the star rating and energy consumption information in the product description or specifications.  

You can also find this information on our efficient appliance calculator.

 

Read the Energy Rating Labels explained report, published by Consumer NZ with support from EECA.

Energy Rating Labels explained | Consumer NZ(external link)

Disposing of old appliances

You can expect most major appliances to last about 10 years, or 8 years for televisions.

 

When it’s time to pull the plug, search for a disposal service that will extract any parts that can be recycled or need careful handling. This is especially important for fridges and freezers and heat pumps — they contain greenhouse gases that need to be properly recovered for future use or proper disposal.

  • Buying secondhand

    Secondhand appliances are not required to display a label, but you can check the energy rating of many products up to 5 years old on the Australian Government Energy Rating website.

    Bear in mind that the energy performance of an older product may not match what it says on the label, due to wear.

  • Water efficiency labels

    Clothes washers and dishwashers show Water Efficiency Labels as well as Energy Efficiency Labels. 

    Products with better water efficiency use less water, which means it also takes less energy to heat that water.

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