Possible government plans for more appliances to have water use information as standard on efficiency labels has been backed by the industry’s trade body.
Paul Hide (pictured), CEO of the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances (Amdea) said this would not only help minimise the environmental impact but also help householders reduce consumption and bills.
The changes to labelling requirements may come about as part of a Defra review which is yet to publish its findings. Water consumption information per cycle is already mandatory for washing machines, washer dryers and dishwashers but the Government may extend the requirement to a wider range of appliances.
Speaking on the Affinity Water podcast, Hide said: “The labelling of white goods is a good thing primarily for helping people to understand the water consumption – alongside the energy consumption – of their appliances, and equally how to minimise that consumption both from an environmental impact and a cost perspective. We certainly support that provision of useful information.”
However, he stressed the importance of having one label only providing water and energy usage, rather than separate labels, and for any labelling to be easily understood so it could help people make well-informed decisions.
“We are very focused as an industry on improving people’s understanding of sustainability and how to use appliances the most economically – both for water and energy,” he said, referencing Amdea’s award-winning Know Watt’s What campaign.
Hide also said he would advocate smarter water meters that could show users how much water individual appliances were using.
Amdea is the UK trade association for manufacturers of large and small domestic appliances; representing over 85% of the domestic appliance industry, rising to 90% of white goods brands. Members’ products include most of the UK’s top selling brands of major white goods, other large and small kitchen appliances, heating,water heating, floor care, waste disposal and ventilation equipment.