John Lewis to put electricity costs on product labels

John Lewis is trialling a product-labelling scheme that will give consumers the lifetime electricity running costs of household white goods such as washing machines, tumble dryers and washer dryers.

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The initiative, which is backed by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, will show people how energy efficient different products are, helping them make an informed choice over which appliance to buy. The Government claims that by choosing an energy-efficient washer dryer, for example, consumers could save more than £500 in electricity costs in the long term.

This is the first time this labelling approach has been trialled by a UK retailer. It aims to discover what effect, if any, lifetime electricity costs have on consumers’ buying decision.

John Lewis says it will run the trial for six months in half its 38 stores. The other 19 stores will continue with the standard appliance label without the new information.

A John Lewis spokesperson says: “Through this trial, we aim to better inform customers and we are genuinely interested in learning if the labelling influences customer decisions.”

The Government hopes the labels will cause an increase in the number of energy-efficient appliances sold and lead to more retailers rolling out similar schemes.

Energy Secretary Edward Davey says: “In the past, people have had no idea how much their appliances will add to their energy bills. Now consumers will be able to see clear, simple information on the lifetime electricity costs for appliances like washing machines.

“This new trial with John Lewis will help raise consumer awareness of energy running costs. I hope it leads to more retailers rolling out clearer labelling.”

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