About the Energy Rating Program

Household appliances are a major source of electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 40% of residential greenhouse gas emissions in Australia and 41% of household electricity consumption in New Zealand.

While many of the appliances currently on the market are quite efficient, there are also many that could be substantially improved. Energy rating labelling is a program which aims to create market demand for efficient products through the provision of clear and objective information on energy efficiency to consumers.

The aim of the energy rating labelling program is to:

• Encourage consumers to select the appliance that uses the least energy and which meets their energy service needs.
• Enable consumers to understand the approximate running costs of an appliance before buying and to minimise the total life cycle cost of the appliance where possible [Energy Use in the Australian Residential Sector 1986 – 2020 – Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA), 2008].
• Provide incentives for manufacturers and importers to improve the energy efficiency of the products they supply to the market.