You can often see big differences in how much products will cost to run, but you can be sure that Eco Buys use less, so are kinder to both the planet and your bills.

As Eco Buys are based on our testing, you can be sure it's realistic to how you actually use your appliances. For example, our surveys have shown that most use their washing machine at 40u00baC, so we based our testing on that. The official A-G energy rating is mostly based on 60u00baC washes, so doesn't give as good an indication of how efficient it will actually be. This could help feed in more ambitious eco-design policy into the forthcoming energy-related products policy framework that the Prime Minister outlined in his 10 Point Plan . To decide if an appliance deserves an Eco Buy, we combine our rigorous testing with the results of our consumer surveys. Only the longest-lasting brands in our annual surveys and only the most efficient appliances, as measured in our independent energy and water use lab tests, make the grade. For dishwashers it shows the number of place settings, water use per wash, duration of said wash, and noise level (both in dB and on a A to D rating scale).

Benefits

This is a change from the old label, which was often based on an estimated usage over a year. Washing machines' energy consumption, for example, was based on 260 cycles (five washes per week for a whole year).

In November, Which? launched the first environmental appliance label in the UK. It's currently on dishwashers and washing machines, with plans to add Eco Buys to more appliances later this year.The UK government has committed to matching and even exceeding the EU's eco-design standards. Today the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) published a summary of responses to a recent call for evidence on energy-related products.