Claims of greater energy-efficiency, affecting £150m worth of oven sales

One in four oven brand names on the UK market were found to have incorrect energy labels, claiming to be more efficient than they were, according to a report by the National Measurement Office (NMO).

It is among the first findings of the Energy Saving Trust (EST) MarketWatch campaign, where the EST is mystery shopping and testing manufacturers to eliminate misleading claims.

The campaign was devised following European Commission-funded research which revealed 20% of energy-using products across Europe did not match their efficiency claims.

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The Energy Information Regulations 2011 require oven suppliers in the EU to provide accurate consumer information on energy labels, detailing supplier, model, energy consumption and class, and where applicable volume, size and noise.

According to a report by the NMO, 25% of oven brand names on the UK market were misusing the market surveillance tolerance to enhance the performance of their products.

Further studies were commissioned to target businesses gaining a market advantage and the NMO worked with individual companies, with all businesses accepting the stance and agreeing to make changes.

According to the NMO 1.5m ovens are sold in the UK, annually at an estimated commercial cost of £600m.With 25% of the market incorrectly labelled, the cost of goods affected by the project is in the region of £150m.

For the consumer, the NMO reported they were spending £700 more a year on utility bills they might have done if they had access to accurate product information on energy efficiency. However the NMO now reports all consumers can be confident they oven they are buying performs to the standard manufacturers are declaring on the label.