Goods cheating EU energy tests: study

Televisions, dishwashers and fridge freezers have been found to use up to twice as much power as advertised on their energy labels, according to a EU product survey.

The €400,000, 18-month study found regular incorrect categorisation under the colour-coded A-G energy bands.

Television features like “ultra-high definition” and “high-dynamic range” boosted energy use in four out of seven sets surveyed.

One model increased its energy consumption by 47 per cent when tested in a cycle based on actual viewing, instead of the EU standard measurement, it was reported.

A similar study in the US in 2016 found that the energy use of Samsung and LG televisions rose by as much as 45 per cent  outside test conditions.

“This model stands out as potentially detecting and adjusting its behaviour to reduce average power consumption when measured with the EN 62087:2016 test video clip,” the report stated.

The video clip is a standard test sequence from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) to measure domestic viewing patterns.

Regulators in the UK and Sweden have already complained to the European Commission about television sets that cut their power consumption in response to the IEC clip being played.

Some products were more energy efficient than their labels indicated, but three of seven televisions tested increased their consumption by around a third when their firmware or operating system updated, which often takes place automatically when a new set is installed. Five sets shut off their energy-saving features without providing an alert.

Chris Spiliotopoulos of the European Environmental Citizens Organisation for Standardisation, which co-wrote the study, said: “Policy-makers should now step up and provide the right direction for standardisation bodies to better represent real-life conditions.

“To get the best deal for our citizens and planet, we can no longer rely on outdated and unrepresentative test methods that may provide an unfair playing field.”

The EU and Japan are due to discuss energy policy this week in Brussels.

The European Commission said the electricity market design, renewable energy, efficiency policy and research and innovation would be on the agenda.

It added that the EU-Japan dialogue was due to include a focus on the global liquid natural gas market, to promote its flexibility and transparency, while responding to climatic change and environmental protection.

Picture credit: Flickr