Energy savings by Youreko
Understand the real financial benefit of purchasing an energy efficient appliance in pounds and pence. It’s a win-win for you and the environment. So be sure to use the tool when looking at your next laundry product, refrigeration or dishwasher.
How it works
1. All products in the market are loaded from major UK retailer and manufacturer sites.
2. The lifetime energy cost is calculated for every product in the market.
3. The tool provides unique insights by comparing the lifetime energy cost of like-for-like products.
What do the medal ratings mean?
We compare like-for-like products by size and give the top products a gold/silver/bronze medal rating based on their energy savings.
Best of the Best
Most efficient product in market with lowest running cost in category.
Gold
Lowest 20% of running costs
Silver
Lowest 40% to 20% of running costs
Bronze
Lowest 60% to 40% of running costs
Good Value
Highest 40% of running costs but nothing cheaper to run at that price
Running costs account for power consumption, average usage, average lifespan, average tariff and the average annual increase in electricity costs.
Energy savings
The tool displays an energy saving compared to the least efficient like-for-like model in the market. For example: ‘£580 energy saving’ when viewing an 8kg washing machine, compared to the least efficient 8kg washing machine in the market. This way you can see instantly see how much there is to save in energy costs for that type of product (2).
Medal ratings
Medal ratings are based on energy savings, meaning products are given a gold/silver/bronze rating based on their running costs. Products in the dark green range get a gold medal, those in the light green range get a silver medal and anything in the yellow range gets a bronze medal.
Recommendations based on energy savings
Recommendations are made for each product if alternatives are found that provide a clear financial benefit in energy savings. The whole site is searched to find similar alternatives that will save you money in energy costs.
Personalisation to fit your needs
Finally, you can also customise your usage for each type of appliance to show the savings for your personal circumstances.
(2) Average usage of 284 cycles per year (~5.5 per week), average lifetime of 11 years, source: Energy Saving Trust. From Oct 1st 2022 BEIS is being used as the source for the average tariff.
Why Compare?
When using the default market average settings, an alternative product could be found to cost a little more to buy, but saving you on its running costs. Spending more upfront could help you save in the longer run.
Energy efficiency label ratings are changing
Fridges, washing machines, washer-dryers and dishwashers energy labels are getting revamped from 1st March 2021, in line with new regulations. Exit the A+++ ratings, welcome back the original A-G scale to help navigate easily.
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How often are products loaded from the market?Products are loaded from the market daily. New products are usually added to the database in 1-2 days.
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How is the lifetime energy cost calculated?Information from official sources is used to calculate the initial average lifetime energy cost of a product that is shown.
Power consumption. This is taken directly from the product fiche published by the manufacturer.
Average usage. The average usage for different categories is taken from a report by the Energy Saving Trust.
Average lifespan. The average lifespan for each category is also taken from a report by the Energy Saving Trust.
Average tariff. This is taken from data published by the UK government’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
Average annual tariff increase. Again taken from BEIS – historic data for tariffs over the last 10+ years is reviewed to determine the average annual increase in electricity costs.
To see the actual values you can click on the help icon (?) in the tool.
Here is an example calculation of the operating cost in year one for a washing machine:
Description Value (A) Power consumption 0.66 kWh per cycle (B) Usage 284 cycle per year (C) Tariff 34p per kWh Elecricity cost calculation (A * B * C) / 100 = £63.73
The annual increase in electricity costs over 11 years is then applied, which results in a lifetime energy cost of the product.
What are like-for-like products?
All of the savings, ratings and comparisons are based on like-for-like products, which in general terms is the size or capacity of a product. Examples of classifications:
Dishwashers. Classified by size: compact, slimline or full size.
Freezers. Classified by type and capacity: chest 100-199 litre, chest 200-299 litre, undercounter, upright 100-199 litre, upright 200-299 litre, etc.
Fridge freezers. Classified by type and capacity: 50/50 100-199 litre, 50/50 200-299 litre, American 500-599 litre, American 600-699 litre, etc.
Fridges. Classified by type and capacity: larder undercounter, larder 100-199 litre, larder 200-299 litre, ice-box undercounter, ice-box 100-199 litre, ice-box 200-299 litre, etc.
Tumble dryers. Classified by capacity: 7 kg, 8 kg, 9 kg, 10 kg, etc.
Washer dryers. Classified by wash capacity: 7 kg, 8 kg, 9 kg, 10 kg, etc.
Washing machines. Classified by capacity: 7 kg, 8 kg, 9 kg, 10 kg, etc.
It’s essential to compare like for like as, for example, it does not make sense to compare the running costs of a 6 kg washer with a 10 kg washer, as the larger capacity washer is likely to use more energy.
For refrigeration, as there are no standard sizes, they are sub-categorised by type and capacity for comparison. For example, it doesn’t make sense to compare a larder fridge with a model that has an ice-box, because freezers use much more energy. Similarly it doesn’t make sense to compare a 50/50 split freezer with a 70/30 split, as the model with 50% freezer will use a lot more energy than the one with 30% freezer. -
Why is the least efficient product used for comparison?We use the least efficient product for two reasons. Firstly, the cheapest products are generally the least efficient and as many of us tend to buy cheap to save money – this represents a good benchmark for comparison.
Secondly, one of the best ways to understand how energy efficient a product is compared to others, is to see where it sits in the range for all products in the market. By comparing with the least efficient model, you can see just how wide the range of energy costs is for different products and where a particular product sits in the range. -
How can I see the actual energy costs for a product?When you open the tool for the first time, you will see the range of lifetime energy savings. If you want to see the energy costs, you can simply click on the ‘Show energy costs’ button.
