Most consumers may select their household appliances based on brand-name recognition, a memorable commercial they saw on TV, or simply to replace the current one. Most commonly, consumers select which appliances to buy based on the cost price. Only then will considerations like, for instance, how "green" the appliance is, come into the picture.

One measure of how "green" an appliance is would be whether harmful substances were used in its manufacture. Another would be to ask if ozone-depleting refrigerants were used. The best and most practical way of measuring the "green-ness" of an appliance is to find out, objectively, how much energy it consumes while in normal operation.

"green" shopping

Why is this a practical Green practice? Singapore derives almost all its energy (in most cases, electricity) from the combustion of fossil fuels in power generating stations. Hence the more energy efficient an appliance is, the less energy is needed to operate the appliance. Less fossil fuels need to be burnt, resulting in less pollutive by-products (like carbon dioxide and assorted hydrocarbons) discharged into Singapore's atmosphere.

In fact, carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas that has been cited as causing global warming. Therefore, by selecting a more energy efficient appliance, we are doing our part to keep Singapore's air clean and also help slow down the effects of global warming.

energy labelling of appliances

Of course, the more energy efficient an appliance is, the less electricity it consumes. The obvious benefit is a smaller energy bill every month. In some instances, you may even break even after a number of years of use.

Right now, it is almost impossible for consumers to be sure which appliances in the market are more energy efficient than the others. Commercials claiming "energy efficient" may not provide a fair basis of comparison. Hence, energy labelling is helpful in that the information it provides allows consumers to compare fairly.

The Singapore Green Labelling Scheme was launched in April 2002 to provide such information to consumers. Starting with refrigerators and air-conditioners, appliances can now be labelled and consumers can find out which models are more efficient than the others. The more Green Ticks, the more energy efficient!

list of energy labelled appliances

You can find out which models available on the market are energy labelled now! Just click here for the list of air-conditioners or here for refrigerators. You can then make a better choice when you are in the shop.