Recommendations for revising the energy label system for dishwashers: supporting sustainable development and usage through the interaction of energy labels, technical improvements and consumer behaviour

Lena Brunzell,Roger Renström

doi:10.1007/s12053-019-09835-6

Abstract

Historically, domestic chores such as washing dishes were all done by hand. Today it is estimated that 44% of the households in the EU are equipped with a dishwasher. In this article, we discuss the connections between technical developments, consumer behaviour and the test standard for energy labels. The aim of this study is to provide recommendations for future work that would strengthen the role of the energy label in order to promote the more sustainable technical development of household appliances. Technical developments are compared with the consequences of different consumer behaviour. It was found that technical developments could reduce annual energy use, but depending on the implemented technology, this is often complex and requires additional components. On the other hand, a consumer can easily increase energy usage by 50% without being aware of doing so, when goods are pre-treated, appliances incorrectly loaded, or inappropriate programs selected. Our recommendation is first of all to encourage the use of dishwashers as they consume less energy and water compared with washing up manually. A holistic approach should be taken to updating the energy labelling system. Actual consumer behaviour must be taken into account and, perhaps most importantly, as dishwashers are becoming ever more energy efficient, consumers must be educated in using the machines in an environmentally friendly way. We conclude that the energy labelling system is outdated; it must be fundamentally revised and must take into account consumer behaviour.

Highlights

The framework set out by the European Council in October 2014, consisting of a domestic target of at least a 40% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from 2030 as well as renewable energy and energy efficiency targets of at least 27%, was followed up by the multilateral Paris Agreement in 2015, in which 195 countries agreed to cap global warming at 1.5 °C between 2010 and 2100
Ninety-six million units are a considerable number of appliances; studies on the environmental impact from domestic chores show that modern household appliances generally use less energy, water and detergent when compared with performing the chores manually (Stamminger et al 2007; Olsson and Karlsson 2015)
We discuss the connections between technical developments, consumer behaviour and the test standard for the energy label

Summary

Introduction

The framework set out by the European Council in October 2014, consisting of a domestic target of at least a 40% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from 2030 as well as renewable energy and energy efficiency targets of at least 27%, was followed up by the multilateral Paris Agreement in 2015, in which 195 countries agreed to cap global warming at 1.5 °C between 2010 and 2100. This sends a clear signal to all parts of the community that a move away from fossil fuels to renewable and more efficient energy usage is required (European Commission 2016). According to Richter (2011), a household with a dishwasher uses on average 50% less energy and 28% less water per cleaned item compared with households where the dishes are done by hand

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