Reporter Resources: Energy Labeling
Since 1980, the Federal Trade Commission’s Appliance Labeling Rule has required appliance manufacturers to attach EnergyGuide labels to their appliances to give consumers important information about the energy use of products they purchase. The labels also help consumers comparison shop for energy-efficient appliances. The EnergyGuide label must appear on clothes washers, refrigerators, freezers, water heaters, dishwashers, room air conditioners, central air conditioners, furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, ceiling fans and pool heaters. Labels for most of these appliances provide an estimate of the product's annual operating cost. The label also provides information on annual energy use or energy efficiency. For most appliances, the label features a bar showing the highest and lowest annual operating costs for all similar appliance models so consumers can compare the energy costs of the labeled model to similar models on the market.
As directed by Section 137 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the FTC initiated a two-year rulemaking to consider the effectiveness of the consumer products appliance labeling program in assisting consumers with their purchasing decisions and in improving energy efficiency. Over the course of the proceeding, the Commission held a public workshop, conducted consumer research, and sought comments on proposed amendments to the Rule. As part of this process, the Commission explored a broad range of issues, including the effectiveness of the EnergyGuide label, its design and content, and possible alternative label designs. The resulting redesign of the EnergyGuide Label, and several other changes to existing requirements, were announced on August 7th 2007.
Revised EnergyGuide Label:
On August 7th 2007, the FTC announced changes to the yellow EnergyGuide label to better help consumers compare the operating costs of competing appliances. The new EnergyGuide label (see illustration) will prominently display annual operating cost information for appliances (in dollars per year) and provide consumers with a clear context to compare the energy efficiency of different appliance models. It also will help consumers assess trade-offs between the energy costs of their appliances and other expenditures. The new EnergyGuide label design will continue to display energy consumption information (e.g., annual electricity use) as a secondary disclosure for most labeled products. The streamlined EnergyGuide label must appear on appliances produced after February 29th, 2008.
Specific Appliance Rulings
Ceiling Fans
On December 22, 2006, the Federal Trade Commission approved an amendment to the Appliance Labeling Rule for ceiling fans. The amendments, which become effective at the beginning of 2009, will require the following information on ceiling fan packages: 1) airflow (i.e., fan strength); 2) electricity use in watts; and 3) airflow efficiency (i.e., the fan’s electricity use compared to the amount of air it moves).
