§ Mr. Michael Brownasked the Secretary of State for Energy what will be the effect, if any, of his proposals to introduce energy labelling on a range of electrical goods (a) manufactured in the United Kingdom and (b) imported from abroad; and what will be the cost.
§ Mr. John MooreThe effect of the proposed measures will be that purchasers of household appliances which use significant quantities of energy will have20W information on the comparative energy consumption and running costs to take into account in making their choice. The proposals apply to both United Kingdom manufactured and imported goods. It is not possible to apportion the costs and benefits between United Kingdom-produced and imported goods.
Overall current departmental estimates, compiled after consulting the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Electrical Appliances and the Consumers' Association, are that the annual costs of running a successful energy labelling scheme on household electrical appliances, including those costs incurred by manufacturers, importers, retailers and Government, will total approximately £17 million to £22 million.
Annual benefits in terms of energy saved are conservatively estimated to be in the range of £50 million to £100 million, although substantially higher estimates of savings were put forward by the Consumers' Association in its report "Energy Efficiency Labelling", published by the Department of Energy in April 1978.