Looking for a new appliance?
Check the Energy Rating Label before you buy.
An appliance with more stars on the label is more energy efficient – and will cost you less to run.
Your checklist for smarter shopping
By making clever appliance purchases, you can lower your cost of living while reducing your household emissions (and new appliances look pretty good too) – it's a win-win-win!
Before you walk into the shop, it pays to consider costs beyond the price tag. We’ve crunched the numbers and developed a checklist for you – to help you buy smarter.
Which products display an Energy Rating Label?
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Household refrigerators and freezers
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Heat pumps
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Clothes washers and dryers
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Dishwashers
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Computer monitors
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Televisions
How to use the Energy Rating Label
Compare similar appliances using the stars
Use the stars on the Energy Rating Label to compare appliances of the same size and type, such as two 8kg clothes dryers.
More stars means the appliance uses less energy and will cost less to run.
Compare different appliances using the energy consumption figure
Use the Energy Rating Label's energy consumption figure to compare appliances of a different type or size, e.g. an 8 kg clothes dryer with a 6 kg clothes dryer.
The energy consumption figure tells you how much energy the appliance is likely to use in a year, based on assumed usage and standardised test conditions. You can use this number to calculate how much the appliance will cost to run. Lower energy consumption numbers are better.
Learn more about Energy Rating Labels | Consumer(external link)
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Heat pump labels
Heat pumps have a Zoned Energy Rating Label that tells you which heat pumps/air conditioners will perform best in different climate zones of New Zealand and Australia.
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Water efficiency labels
Clothes washers and dishwashers also need to have a Water Efficiency Label.
Products with better water efficiency use less water, which means it also takes less energy to heat that water.
Compare appliances
The Gen Less 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.
Disposing of old appliances
Get maximum value out of your appliances by using them for their full lifetime. You can expect most major appliances to last about 10 years, or 8 years for television.
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 – they contain extremely potent greenhouse gases that need to be properly recovered.
Buying second hand
You can check the energy rating of many older products here.
Energy rating calculator(external link)
How efficient appliances make a difference
New Zealand generates 80% of its electricity from renewable sources like hydro and geothermal, but we have to top up the rest by generating electricity from coal and gas, which produces climate-changing carbon emissions. Using electricity more efficiently allows our renewable sources to go further, and also frees up capacity in the electricity system. This means more electricity is available at a cheaper cost, so it becomes more viable for businesses that use a lot of energy to switch from high-emissions fuels such as petrol and coal to electricity.
So when you choose energy efficient technology, you’re helping to reduce the cost of meeting New Zealand’s climate commitments and speed up the transition to a low-emissions economy.