Parent company to Hotpoint, Indesit, Whirlpool and KitchenAid, Whirlpool UK Appliances has pledged its support for retailers through the changes to the energy labelling system by helping educate consumers.

The new energy label, which comes into force in March 2021, has been created so it is simpler for consumers to choose the most energy-efficient appliances.

It has been revised as the existing labelling system grew more complex, with additional “+” classes to describe products that surpassed the A rating.

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Introduced by the European Commission, the new Energy Labelling Framework Regulation mandates the use of labels with a simpler scale.

The current plus classes (e.g A+++, A++ and A+) will be replaced by a energy consumption scale from A to G, with a seven step colour scale.

In addition, the labels will include a QR code that consumers can scan to view non-commercial information about a product via the European Product Database of Energy Labelling (EPREL).

The first appliances to use the new energy labels from March 2021 are dishwashers, washing machines, washer dryers, refrigerators (including wine storage appliances) and freezers.

From the second half of 2020, there will be a transition period when appliance manufacturers will need to include both the new label and the old label in packaging, for any product placed on sale before March 1, 2021.

Other product categories, including ovens, tumble dryers and specialist cooling appliances, will transition to the new label from 2022.

General manager UK and Ireland of Whirlpool UK Appliances Andrzej Tuleja said: “We are excited to welcome the new energy labelling framework as a bold opportunity towards greater sustainability.

“As a company, Whirlpool has always sought to be at the forefront of sustainable best practices.

“We have led the way in more sustainable manufacturing that uses fewer resources and less energy, while supporting global efforts first through the Kyoto protocols and later by being early to exceed the targets set out by the Paris Agreement.

“We are also committed to help consumers on this journey too – through products that make it easier to reduce their household resource consumption in the home.

“By building on more rigorous measurement methods, this new energy label supports this by better representing the best performing appliances of today – and by setting ambitious targets for those of tomorrow too.”

He continued: “At Whirlpool, we want to help explain the new regulations so consumers won’t be confused. This is why we are taking the opportunity to publicise the changes.

“When buying a new appliance, consumers may find that, due to the revision, many energy-efficient products that were previously at the top of the list will now be placed in lower classes.

“It is therefore important to make clear that the way in which the energy classification is communicated, via the label, has changed but the efficiency of the product is the same as before.”

Whirlpool UK recently donated appliances to NHS hospitals and charities, in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.