Appliance shopping? Read the label

December is often a time for big-ticket purchases, be they for gifts or because consumers have savings, a bonus or a thirteenth cheque to spend. If you are ready to invest in a large electrical household appliance, there’s a label to simplify your decision.

Household appliances can be electricity guzzlers, especially geysers, refrigerators, lights, laundry equipment and ovens. Not only do they inflate your electricity bill, but in South Africa they add to the stress that the national grid is under, particularly in the mornings and evenings when bathrooms and kitchens are most in use.

Energy efficient appliances are, therefore, an effective way of reducing a household’s electricity consumption. The hard work to achieve this is done, first, by government and, second, by manufacturers and retailers. Us as consumers only have to read the labels on the appliances we are considering and make the buying decision that best suits our circumstances.

South Africa’s Energy Efficiency Appliance Standards and Labelling (S&L) Program has been in place for voluntary endorsement for large residential appliances since 2007 with the first regulations coming into effect in 2015, says Ashanti Mbanga, who heads up the program at the South African national Energy Development Institute (SANEDI). SANEDI has been tasked by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) to implement the national S&L Program.

South Africa’s Energy Efficiency Appliance Standards and Labelling (S&L) Program has been in place for voluntary endorsement for large residential appliances since 2007 with the first regulations coming into effect in 2015, says Ashanti Mbanga, who heads up the program at the South African national Energy Development Institute (SANEDI). SANEDI has been tasked by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) to implement the national S&L Program.

Mbanga explains that the S&L Program is beneficial on several fronts. “Top of mind for South Africans currently is the need to use less energy in the interest of reducing load shedding, and energy efficient appliances certainly support that goal,” she says. By using less electricity, energy efficient appliances also contribute to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and help address the lack of universal access to electricity in our country.

In addition, the Standards and Labelling Program aims to protect consumer welfare, given that the implementation approach takes into consideration the materials used in the appliance manufacturing process and how they are disposed of at the end of the appliance’s useful life. Light bulbs that contain mercury and the gases in refrigerators are examples of harmful materials that need environmentally responsible remanufacturing processes to be encouraged