Sustainability tips
Shopping with the stars
You're making a major purchase like a fridge or a washing machine... so how do you know which product's best for the environment? "Efficiency labels" can help you to make the right choice. The familiar red and yellow rating label tells you the energy efficiency of an appliance and indicates how much electricity it might use over a year.
Energy rating label
Less familiar is the blue water rating label. These currently appear on appliances produced for the Australian market and tell you how efficient an appliance is at using water.
Water rating label
What you can do:
- Look for the efficiency rating label or swing tag when shopping for new appliances, including showers and toilet cisterns
- Is the washer in your toilet cistern old and perished? This is a big water waster as it causes water to continually leak into the toilet bowl
- Do you need to replace your fridge or freezer? Make sure you get rid of your old one at your local landfill as it is likely to contain harmful CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons - these damage the earth's ozone layer) and be very inefficient
- Remember, saving water saves energy - it takes a lot of electricity to supply the water that goes through our household appliances, especially hot water
More sustainability tips:
www.bethedifference.gw.govt.nz