BEUC NEWS - 28.10.2016

Ecodesign measures have been in the spotlight this week, with the European Commission allegedly planning to scrap the policy. Our timely new study confirms how crucial it is to protect Ecodesign.
 

Consumers save every year up to €330 thanks to Ecodesign. This is because EU laws have enabled manufacturers to produce less energy-guzzling products. And if consumers choose a product which is in the top class of the Energy Label, their savings can increase to over €450 per year.

These results come from a study commissioned by BEUC and her sister organisation ANEC. It evaluates the financial savings resulting from Ecodesign and Energy Labelling for the average European household.

In addition to economic benefits, Ecodesign helps improve consumer products, like making vacuum cleaners more silent.  

The study also highlights that savings for consumers could be considerably higher if more ambitious Ecodesign standards were to come into force.

Background:
The average family, taken as a case study, consists of a couple and one child. They live in a 3-bedroom house and have about 20 appliances and 45 light bulbs. The study methodology is based on the calculation of the total cost of ownership of all their appliances¹.

Useful links:

• our factsheet ‘How much can consumers save thanks to Ecodesign’
• the study summary
• the full study
• Our joint project with ANEC about Ecodesign and energy labelling.

¹ The total cost of ownership is the purchase price in addition to the running costs (including energy costs). For the sake of representability, this amount is divided by the number of years the product is used to give an annual cost. From there, and when compared to a world where products would not be regulated under Ecodesign, one can obtain net financial savings provided by Ecodesign, not only for each appliance, but also overall.