The Label 2020 project is organised to help smooth the market transition towards the new energy labels. The Label 2020 project started in June 2019 and will last until January 2023. It is coordinated by the Austrian Energy Agency and takes place in the UK and 15 European Union member states.
Label 2020 project objectives are to support:
- Consumers and professional buyers by means of effective information campaigns, services and tools.
- Retailers in the correct, efficient and effective implementation of the new label at the point of sale and in online sales channels.
- Manufacturers in the provision of correct labelling and product information
- Policy makers, multipliers and other stakeholders in the use and promotion of the new label within national programs, initiatives and schemes.
The EU has adopted new format and visual identity for new energy labels for 6 product groups:
These new labels will be visible for European consumers in physical stores and online as of March 1st 2021. Please note that the energy labels for some product categories will remain in the same format, as available today – their transition to new labels will take place at a later date. These include tumble driers, air-conditioners, space heaters and water heaters, etc.
What are the new features of these energy labels?
Internal Commission estimations value the total annual final energy savings of these new labels by 2030 at 38 TWh/year, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of Hungary.
A return to the well-known and effective energy labelling scale A to G for energy efficient products, including a process for rescaling the existing labels, e.g. removal of the A+ to A+++ classes.
A digital database for new energy efficient products, so that all new products placed on the EU market are registered on an online database, allowing greater transparency and easier market surveillance by national authorities.
A new element in these labels is a QR code with which consumers will be able to get additional, official (non-commercial) information by scanning the code with a common smartphone. This data is being inserted by manufacturers into the EPREL EU database.
Depending on the product, the energy labels will display not only electricity consumption, but also other energy and non-energy information, with intuitive new pictograms, to compare products and perform a better informed purchase choice: information about water used per washing cycle, storing capacity, noise emitted, etc.
The Label 2020 project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement Number 847062. The sole responsibility for the content of this document lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union. Neither the EASME nor the European Commission are responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.