Even though the bright labels are hard to miss, the labels alone are not easily clear about what they cover. So, let's take a closer look at what Australia's energy rating labels actually mean to ensure you are getting the most energy-saving appliances and electrical installations for your dollar.
What is the Energy Rating Labels?
According to the official Energy Rating website, a joint initiative of the Australian and New Zealand State and Territory Governments, the energy labels display the efficiency of specific appliances and equipment. The energy rating labels enable customers to determine how much a device will cost to operate and how energy-efficient it is in similar models.
When compared to identical models of the same size and capacity, energy-efficient appliances consume less electricity to attain the same level of performance. The more energy-efficient a device is, the less energy it consumes and the less money it costs to operate.
The energy labels are part of a government-industry programme to encourage customers to buy energy-efficient appliances and equipment. Manufacturers are incentivised to create more energy-efficient versions as the market demand for these items increases.
Minimum Energy Performance Standards are frequently used in conjunction with energy rating labelling (minimum standards). Before a product can be marketed to customers, it must fulfil minimal energy performance criteria. Minimum standards raise the performance of the least efficient items, improving the average efficiency of products on the market.
No matter if you need an Electrician Parramatta or an Electrician Castle Hill, trust Alan Oxford teams to come to your property promptly.
How are the Star Ratings Calculated?
The energy usage and product size are used to establish an appliance's star rating.
Consider a ceiling fan installation: the cooling efficiency of a model is the amount of cooling capacity (output) per unit of energy used (input). The effectiveness of a television is proportional to its screen size. In most cases, algorithms assign one star to the lowest-performing items, while higher-performing ones receive more stars.
As appliance performance has improved over time, many items average a performance standard of 4, 5, or 6 stars on their labels. As a result, labels for all product categories were increased to out of 10 stars instead of the previous six-star maximum.
All appliance star ratings are evaluated regularly, and the Star Rating formulas are updated as appliance efficiency increases. For more practical examples of the star system, let's look at lighting and heating installations, the two most significant categories of electricity use within the home – from LED downlight installations to ceiling fan installations – to see where Aussies can save the most.
Save on Lighting with LED Downlight Installations
Lighting contributes to around 10% of home power use and 18–40% in commercial buildings.
The good news is that replacing ineffective lights with efficient LED downlight installations can result in considerable energy savings and lower power costs. LED downlight installations provide greater value for money than traditional incandescent and halogen light bulbs. LED downlight installations consume around 75% less energy to generate the same amount of light and last much longer before they need to be replaced.
Even such a tiny adjustment to LED downlight installations may have a tremendous impact on your home's electricity bills. For example, replacing ten halogen light bulbs with an efficient LED downlight installation may save you about $650 over ten years on your electric bill.
In fact, these LED downlight installation results were so powerful that in April 2018, Australia's Energy Ministers decided to enhance the lighting energy-efficiency legislation by phasing out inefficient halogen lamps (light bulbs) and implementing minimum LED downlight installation standards in accordance with European Union (EU) requirements in Australia and New Zealand. These Australian regulations for LED downlight installations are expected to come into effect in 2022-2023.
It is estimated that the phase-out of incandescent light bulbs and a switch to LED downlight installations will save the average household 300 kWh and $75 per annum.
Save on Cooling with Ceiling Fan Installations
Space conditioning, often known as home heating and cooling, can account for 20 per cent to 50 per cent of energy consumption in Australian houses, depending on the local climatic zone, as well as other factors like insulation levels and personal comfort.
Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) have significantly influenced the air conditioner market's efficiency and innovation. The most inefficient air conditioner on the market now (less than 4kW) is more efficient than the most efficient air conditioner in 2001.
The heating and cooling system you choose can have a significant influence on your household's energy bills. There are several options for providing heating and cooling services to your house.
Although ceiling fan installations are not currently regulated for energy efficiency in Australia and New Zealand. With a ceiling fan installation, you will feel around 3°C cooler, and a ceiling fan installation is inexpensive to purchase and operate, costing only around 2 cents per hour.
In Need of Energy Efficient Electrical Upgrades in Sydney?
Energy-efficient electrical upgrades are necessary and beneficial for all households, lowering electricity bill costs and ensuring more environmentally efficient homes.
No matter if you want to get started on LED downlight installations and ceiling fan installations immediately or if you are unsure how to make your household more efficient. Alan Oxford's expert electricians in Sydney will come to your property and advise you on your specific circumstances detailing the electrical upgrades, which will help you save the most.
Are you looking for an Electrician Near Me? Alan Oxford's Plumbing & Electrical are your local expert Sydney Electricians for LED downlight installations and ceiling fan installations. At Alan Oxford's Plumbing & Electrical, we have expert emergency electricians who can help you keep your electricity usage efficient and cost-effective.
We specialise in providing expert electrical services, including smoke detector installation, datapoint installation, LED downlight installations, ceiling fan installation, switchboard installation and much more, for customers in Parramatta, Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills and the Hills Shire.
Alan Oxford's Plumbing & Electrical provides a Customer Service Guarantee and a 24-hour Emergency Electrical Service to ensure we can help you if a dangerous electrical issue does emerge. For more information about our LED downlight installations, ceiling fan installation and more services, arrange a booking by contacting our friendly team on(02) 9894 9623.
Image Source: Energy Rating Gov
