Save electricity: How much money can you save by paying attention to energy labels?

DIY stores and electronics stores are teeming with energy labels – but what do the colorful stickers actually say? stern video editor Florian Saul goes in search of answers and talks to the local staff and an energy expert from the Schleswig-Holstein consumer advice center.
“I’ve just come from the hardware store and if one thing has come to my mind, it’s that there are a lot of lamps and a lot of bulbs. And most of them have an A to G energy label or an old label. However, it is As a consumer, I don’t even begin to realize how much money or electricity I save if I choose one of the well-rated devices and how much more I pay or how much more electricity I use if I choose one of the poorly rated devices Unfortunately, the employees on site could not tell me how much money or electricity I save with A compared to G. I was told that this is a kind of guideline and that you can say thumbs up: yes, with A saves you money and G tends to pay more compared to A. But that there is no specific calculation that proves the whole thing and you really can’t say it in general terms.
A rather unsatisfactory answer. So I head to a place that also has a lot of energy labels.
Washing machines, electrical appliances, televisions, ovens. You can also find a lot of energy labels in the electronics store. But the question remains of how much money or electricity you save if you choose one of the better rated devices. When I asked, an employee explained that there was no general answer and gave me a brochure from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The brochure should explain the labels.
The flyer explains the structure of the stickers. On the left is the energy label scale from A to G, on the right is the product’s efficiency class. There is also a QR code that leads to further product details. The energy consumption is displayed below the scale. In this case for a TV that runs 1000 hours. Further details are listed below. The reported energy consumption ensures a certain comparability of two different televisions. But what about other devices? I contacted Stiftung Warentest with the question and promptly received an answer by email. The energy consumption of different product groups is reported differently. In the case of light bulbs and televisions, the energy consumption is specified for each 1000 hours of operation. For dishwashers and washing machines for 100 operating cycles each. For refrigerators, the energy consumption per year is given. But these values ​​are somehow still abstract.
I’m talking to Sascha Beetz from the consumer advice center in Schleswig-Holstein. In an interview, he explains what the energy labels are all about – and how much money you can save in the long term with your purchase decision.
Sasha Beetz also explains that the label or the energy efficiency class not only takes into account the consumer’s electricity costs, but also the sustainability of the devices. Factors such as the so-called “grey energy”, which is required for the production and disposal of devices, are also important. He also makes it clear that the old labels with information such as “A+++” cannot be compared with the new labels from A to G when buying. And for all those who, like me, thought that a quick glance at an energy label would suffice when purchasing an electrical appliance, the expert has sobering news.
The research shows that the interaction of the various factors that affect the power consumption of an electrical device is obviously too complex to be comprehensively mapped on a small label – but the scale from A to G gives consumers a first clue. And it is possible in the long term to save several hundred euros by purchasing just one device.”