Energy efficiency labels are one of the fastest indicators when it comes to knowing the future electricity and water costs of our household appliances and equipment as well as other factors such as noise levels or actual capacities.
It is a graphic system designed to be able to observe in a very visual way the most relevant characteristics of our future purchase, although its constant evolution can be confusing for many users. The reason?
Well, manufacturers are developing products that are more and more efficient than they become obsolete every few yearsthen the official organizations renew them and consumers have to get used to the new models.
The labels that we have just launched a little over two years ago propose a new scale and a new consumption assessment format that makes the figures shown on the old labels no longer match the new ones, even if it is the same appliance. However, they forgot about the “+” surnames and returned again to a simple scale of letters with colors between the “A” in green which represents the most efficient appliances, and the “G” in red representing the least efficient devices.
The surprising thing when the change was made is that category “A” was left empty, that is, without no appliance was able to reach itwaiting for new, more efficient products that would arrive in the coming years… and they have already arrived.
Samsung’s new ultra-efficient washing machines
Last year we already had a preview of what was going to happen with the new energy efficiency labels, since at IFA 2022 we attended the presentation of some household appliances that exceeded the Category A”, the maximum possible until then, putting next to it a “surname” similar to “-10%”, “extra 10%” or similar that came to indicate that this evaluation had exceeded class “A” by said factor of 10%.
This year at the IFA 2023 in Berlin the situation has been repeated but notably expanded, since Samsung Electronics has presented a washing machine with energy classification A-40%. This means that consume up to 40% less of energy than the one necessary to reach the limit of class “A” of energy efficiency.
How does this washer achieve such efficiency? Well, according to the manufacturer “intelligently optimizing washing performance and reducing energy use, while offering a load capacity of 10 kg” for this, this washing machine includes SmartThings connectivity, which can reduce energy use through the AI Energy Mode at SmartThings Energy.
It also allows users to check daily, weekly and monthly energy consumption and calculates monthly electricity bills. In addition, for washing programs that can run in AI Energy Mode, the washing machine intelligently reduces energy use. up to 70% using Ecobubble to wash with cold water instead of hot and thus avoid lengthening the washing time.
The washing machine comes with AI Wash, which has laundry detection capabilities to improve laundry performance and minimize waste. In this way, it controls the amount of water and detergent by detecting the weight, the softness of the fabric and the level of soiling. To do this, it optimizes the amount of water and detergent and continuously adjusts the soak, rinse and spin times. According to Samsung, this washing machine will be available in European markets from the first quarter of 2024, although it has not provided prices.
As we can see, the new energy labels that have been operating for about two years now they are clearly outdated and it would not be surprising if in a short time we began to see again the classic categories “A+”, “A++”, etc. which were suppressed because in theory they offered little clarity to the user.
Cover image | European Union
In Xataka Smart Home | Understanding the chaos of energy rating labels: how the new ones differ from the old ones