Don`t just press the button! - Why appliance settings increasingly
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1. more research should be undertaken on real life user behaviour of energy using and energy related products especially the motivations and practices related to settings and mode selection Such investigations would in particular be very useful for new or the revisions of existing EU Ecodesign and Energy Labelling regulations In concrete terms it means that the academic world should be more stimulated to look into these topics and authors of technical studies prior to regulations should spend more time on these as well with a view to identifying a representative group of settings to base regulatory requirements on if not possible adjust the requirements to make sure the performance of products is improved in all major modes and not just one References AEA 2009 Work on Preparatory Studies for Eco Design Requirements of EuPs II Lot 17 Vacuum Cleaners Final Report AISE 2013 http Awww iprefer30 eu date visited 19 01 2015 Mottos could include longer washing times save real energy Attari Shahzeen Z DeKayb Michael L Davidson Cliff I de Bruine W ndi 2010 Public perceptions of energy consumption and savings Bichler Sandra Gorny Susanne Stamminger Rainer 2013 Are German consumers using their dishwashers in an energy efficient way Presented at the 2013 EEDAL conference Bichler Sandra 2014 Verbraucherakzeptanz von Energieeinsparpotentialen an automatischen Geschirrsptilmaschinen Shaker Verlag Aachen2. have confirmed that there were huge disparities from one home to another Wide ranges exist even for such ubiquitous loads like refrigeration Nelson et al 2014 These differences stem not only from differences in appliances but also from differences in using them Hence the importance of assessing the extent of the issue so looking at how much energy may not be saved as expected due to real life behaviour When a product is so basic as to have only one operating mode the risk is relatively limited Yet energy using products and appliances are becoming more and more sophisticated due to the penetration of electronics and smart functionalities The trend is developing towards more and more programmes and menu settings While this improves flexibility and programmability if used correctly it also increases the range of possible sustained deviations from an efficient use Table 1 below provides cases found in the literature of the impact on energy consumption of choices regarding user settings or programmes for several appliance types Table 1 Examples of user settings affecting energy consumption Product Impact on energy use Setting or programme Data source PC 70 increase Deselecting power management settings and ECW 2010 leaving the PC on for long periods Based on Horowitz Watchi t a high bright level dt TV 10 to 30 increase ACAN ATA MOA Ng INESS OVO SOmparec toar Sg 3 and Digital reasonable home mode setting Europe
3. that it is often a weak spot in the preparatory work underpinning energy efficient product policies and programmes and this can hamper their development and adequacy The recent controversial dispute over the way people use vacuum cleaners in real life and the energy impact of this during the preparation of EU s regulations is an illustration One particularly interesting aspect is the growing development of so called eco modes These operating modes are meant to showcase a product s environmental excellence but are users actually going for them In some appliances Eco modes may be so artificial and far from convenient e g washing machine programmes that last many hours that in reality they will not be desired and actual energy use will be much higher than claimed This can have serious policy implications For instance if manufacturers are allowed to use these artificial eco modes as the basis for assessing their products energy performance energy labels may mislead consumers minimum efficiency requirements may become too easy to meet and a fair and honest comparison between products and manufacturers would be hindered Insights on current processes to develop measurement standards for EU efficiency regulations show that this is a real threat This paper discusses these issues and illustrates them with recent examples It then provides recommendations to better take product use aspects into account so that produc
4. 2012 TV Arina s0iner as Setting that transitions to a quick start mode for 2 Based on NRDC et hours before going to normal standby al 2014 Washing 30 to 100 increase Washing at temperatures higher than 30 C or with BIO 2009 machine fast programmes Stiftung Warentest Using the automatic programme instead of the 1 annual figures Dishwasher 20 to 30 increase energy saving Drying clothes with a programme by passing the Based on Calwell auto off sensor drying 2013 Tumble drier Average 25 increase Hasanuzzaman et al Freezer 16 increase Lowering the internal temperature setting by 2 C 2008 Heating water at 100 C compared to 80 C ona programmable model Setting the tank water temperature at 60 C instead of 50 C Kettle 30 increase Based on BIO 2014 Water heater 6 to 11 increase US EPA 2015 Note 1 See Figure 1 below These examples of variation are sometimes very large more than the width of one or two classes on energy labels often for little or no visible additional comfort More concretely a EU household equipped with average performing appliances used with the aforementioned settings examples can already consume 500 extra kWh year meaning 100 more on annual energy bills Why would people fail to use the most sensible settings Appliances set and used in energy intensive ways are not just isolated cases An illustration is the see
5. 2014 Bichler Sandra 2015 Dishwashing habits in Germany How to improve sustainability To be publishedBIO Intelligence Service in collaboration with Giraffe and Intertek for DEFRA 2009 Reducing the environmental impact of clothes cleaning BIO by Deloitte 2014 Preparatory Study to establish the Ecodesign Working Plan 2015 2017 Draft consulted in December 2014 Calwell Chris 2013 Are Test Procedures Passing the Test Ensuring That Measured Results Are Representative of Energy Use in the Field Presented at the 2013 EEDAL conference Chadwick Mal 2013 What does that eco button do 10 10 url http www 1010uk org articles what does eco button do date visited 10 03 2015 Denkenberger et al 2014 The time is ripe for paying attention to clothes drying technology and policy in relation to efficiency and drying time ECOVA August 2014 Digital Europe 2012 Pre consultation forum response to the report entitled CF paper on the review of TV regulations and displays ECW 2010 Electricity Savings Opportunities for Home Electronics and Other Plug in Devices in Minnesota Homes A technical and behavioral field assessment Fraunhofer 2007 EuP Preparatory Studies Televisions Lot 5 Final Report on Task 3 Consumer Behaviour and Local Infrastructure Hasanuzzaman M Saidur R Masjuki H H 2008 Investigation of Energy Consumption and Energy Savings of Refrigerator Freezer During Open and Closed Door Conditio
6. 6610 Samsung RI 39 html manual date visited 05 01 2015 Schmitz A Stamminger R 2014 Usage behaviour and related energy consumption of European consumers for washing and drying Energy Efficiency 7 6 937 954 Shuma Iwisi Mercy V 2011 Energy Efficient Use Index A Parameter for Efficient Energy Behaviour for Operating Electronic Consumer Appliances Presented at the 2011 EEDAL conference Spiliotopoulos C 2014 Major savings lost at the push of a button http www coolproducts eu blog eco button loophole date visited 05 01 2015 Stamminger R Streichardt C 2009 Selected Aspects of Consumer Behaviour in the Manual and Mechanical Dishwashing in Germany SOFW Journal 135 11 7 Toulouse E 2014 Developing measurement methods for EU Ecodesign and Energy Labelling measures A discussion paper Published by CLASP US EPA 2015 Energy efficiency url http www epa gov p2 pubs energy htm date visited 05 01 2015 Worcester Bosch 2015 Greenstar 25Si 30Si USER INSTRUCTIONS amp CUSTOMER CARE GUIDE url http www worcester bosch co uk cache file 275 user manual for greenstar si manufactured aug 08 july 09 pdf date visited 05 01 2015
7. 7 323 15 Stamatis Sivitos Don t just press the button Why appliance settings increasingly matter for efficiency delivery and rulemaking Stamatis Sivitos European Environmental Citizens Organisation for Standardisation ECOS 26 rue d Edimbourg B 1050 Brussels stamatis sivitos ecostandard org Christoforos Spiliotopoulos European Environmental Citizens Organisation for Standardisation ECOS 26 rue d Edimbourg B 1050 Brussels chris spiliotopoulos ecostandard org Rainer Stamminger University of Bonn Nussallee 5 D 53115 Bonn stamminger uni bonn de Edouard Toulouse Independent consultant 45 rue Faidherbe F 59110 La Madeleine edouard toulouse netcourrier com Abstract Appliances and energy using products are getting more energy efficient but they also tend to become more and more sophisticated with a multiplication of programmes and auxiliary features The way they are set and used becomes a critical determinant of their real life energy consumption which can vary greatly depending on a single initial setting or usage routine Irrational or poorly informed behaviour with respect to appliance energy consumption may be a tangible setback in the path towards a lower energy consuming world This should be an area of interest and concern for those who seek to achieve energy savings Yet user behaviour regarding several energy using appliances is still relatively understudied and overlooked Experience shows
8. EEE Summer Study NRDC ACEEE and ASAP 2014 Comments on ENERGY STAR Version 7 0 Draft 2 Specification for Televisions Official Journal of the European Union 2014 C 207 3 July _http eur lex europa eu legal content EN TXT uri uriserv OJ C_ 2014 207 01 0022 01 ENG Pistochini P Zangheri P Fumagalli S Chiesa M Bottani G Gallo E Leonardi G Longoni V Scarano V Tarantini V Villani M G 2013 Energy amp Appliances 2015 project a new approach for testing appliances with respect to end users behaviour Presutto M Stamminger R Scaldoni R Mebane W Esposito R 2007 Preparatory study of Eco design requirements of EuPs Lot 14 Domestic Washing Machines and Dishwashers Task 3 5 ISIS Prignot Nicolas Wallenborn Gr goire 2009 Standardisation of practices and representations of users in the ecodesign Directive Presented at the 2009 eceee Summer Study Ramsey 2011 What s This Eco Button In My New Car January 2011 http www autoblog com 2011 01 28 car eco button date visited 05 01 2015 Richter CP 2010a Automatic dishwashers efficient machines or less efficient consumer habits International Journal of Consumer Studies 34 2 228 234 Richter CP 2010b In house Consumer Study on Dishwashing Habits in Four European Countries Saving Potentials in Households with Dishwashing machine Shaker Verlag Aachen 2010 Samsung RL39 Owner s instructions 2015 url http www manualslib com manual 14
9. e not sufficiently aware of the longer programme duration as an illustration the EU energy label misses information regarding the duration of the programme in which the product was tested This is unfortunate as some consumer surveys have shown a higher level of acceptance of longer programme durations if the relevant information e g that such programmes can save energy has been communicated to users Schmitz and Stamminger 2014 In addition when policies fail to sufficiently address important aspects it leaves room for manufacturers to optimise one visible performance criteria e g energy use at the cost of another such as longer programme duration Communicating more on programme durations as well as foreseeing relevant provisions during the revision of the related regulations would urge manufacturers to address and compete on this aspect Recommendations for policymakers and related stakeholders Based on the previous discussion and findings there appears to be room for improvement in the way settings and eco modes are considered in product policies and the repercussions this can have from an environmental financial and competitiveness perspective We provide hereunder a non exhaustive list of recommendations e With regards to measurement methods used for energy labels and minimum performance requirements the conditions in which a product is measured should always be crystal clear and representative of real life use while be
10. ent In the following part we particularly elaborate on the first point Importance of settings in measurements Product energy efficiency regulations need to be underpinned by accurate measurement and test methods Designing measurement methods is a crucial yet often overlooked part of the rulemaking process Toulouse 2014 With respect to EU Ecodesign and Energy Labelling regulations the European Commission issues standardisation requests to European Standardisation Organisations CEN and CENELEC in order to develop harmonised European standards EN for measurement methods The purpose of these standards is to describe an agreed methodology to measure the energy performance of the products and support the regulations in question These standards are then published as harmonised meaning that they are recognised in all EU Member States as providing presumption of conformity with EU regulations Measurement standards are crucial in order to have clearly defined repeatable reproducible and accurate methodologies which allow for the fair The International Organisation for Standardization ISO defines a standard as a document that provides requirements specifications guidelines or characteristics that can be used consistently to ensure that materials products processes and services are fit for their purpose ISO 2015 assessment and comparison of products as well as ensuring that effective regulations with adequa
11. he eco programme for the same amount of load This factor varies even more for the cotton programmes at 40 C almost by a factor of three In this case selecting the eco mode does make a huge difference in terms of energy consumption Programmes Load Energy Water con Approxi Remain Kg consump sumption mate pro ing mois tion kWh litre gramme ture duration minutes Cottons 60 C 9 1 55 79 170 52 Cottons 40 C 9 0 97 79 164 52 n ac 40 3 0 55 54 109 35 rs 0 60 59 89 35 Wool Hand wash 30 C 2 0 35 58 60 30 Standard cotton programmes Standard 60 aC crate 9 0 64 58 226 52 Standard 60 aC cotton 45 0 35 40 185 52 Standard 40 C cotton 45 0 35 40 199 52 Figure 3 Extract of an instruction manual for a washing machine AEG L89495FL Unfortunately eco mode definitions and minimum specifications have not been included in most EU product regulations adopted thus far The price to pay for saving energy Eco modes and programmes save energy by optimising the functioning of the product and limiting the use of the most energy intensive components and processes This may come at a certain price in terms of user comfort or services In eco conditions the product usually takes some more time to produce the desired output and may not have all side functionalities available at the same time For instance a product in eco standby mode may require a few more seconds to warm up compared to normal standby Thi
12. ing organisation has been running tests on dishwashers for years They show that the eco energy saving programme has the lowest energy consumption while the automatic and short programmes consume more energy 20 to 30 see Figure 1 which also shows that the reduction of energy consumption in the energy saving programme is followed by reductions in the other programmes Based on own calculations using average performing products found in houses 2013 and the 2012 average EU electricity price 1 6 ja A H N m Eco Automatik Kurz short energy consumption in kWh oS SJ a o0 2 P N 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Figure 1 Dishwashers average energy consumption of different programmes in Germany Stiftung Warentest graphics University Bonn Generally it is probable that some users decide to use non energy efficient or sub optimal settings or programmes for very deliberate reasons But for many others it is likely the result of more routine type behaviour and lack of attention or understanding on the consequences and alternatives The knowledge about the energy use of appliances and saving opportunities is relatively poor in the general public Attari et al 2010 energy using activities at home are mostly inconspicuous and habitual engrained by social structures personal histories and cultural interpretation and resulting in sustained habits that can impede more rationale behavi
13. ing proportionate to related cost and time considerations If a product is only tested in an eco mode with reduced functionalities it is important to guarantee that this mode is reasonable and not only designed to lower the product environmental or energy impact in an artificial way that would hardly take place in real homes To achieve this in the EU a safeguard principle could be added to the framework Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Directives such as The conditions in which products are tested for conformity shall be realistic and correspond to a normal or common usage pattern Where products have different operating modes or programmes the testing conditions shall be made sufficiently precise in the implementing measure In particular it should be avoided that a product is only tested in an eco mode with reduced functionalities specifically designed to lower the product s environmental impact if it is not the default mode e For all relevant product categories definitions or minimum specifications for eco modes could be agreed and specified to make sure that these modes really save energy and are appealing for users A harmonised way across appliances of depicting the eco mode wording pictogram could have a positive learning effect on consumers it could motivate users not using eco modes to switch to these while facilitating use for existing users e When eco modes are well framed and have clear benefits consumers shou
14. ld be encouraged to use them as a normal practice Legislation can play a role through enforcing generic requirements such as obligation to deliver products with energy management features enabled by default mandatory sensors to stop programmes when the expected result is achieved displaying the eco mode in a clear way on the control panel etc e In addition it would be fair to better inform consumers about the modes settings in which a product has been rated to avoid gaps between the perceived energy performance at the time of purchase and the real life one afterwards but also motivate sustainable behaviour This could be added in some way to the energy labels particularly in a future digitalised version as well as information about the important parameters that are relevant to users in relation to settings such as programme duration for white appliances or reactivation time for eco standby modes e Other means of user information and awareness raising on the benefits of eco modes and eco settings should be reinforced not only provided in instruction manuals as those may not be read and or be understood but through additional means such as communication tools e g I try 30 C campaign from the International Association for Soaps Detergents and Maintenance Products in 2013 on low temperature wash AISE 2013 as well as education information on energy saving behaviours through education as well as consumer organisations e Finally
15. ly come with a significant sacrifice For example a tumble drier that runs in an eco mode using a sensor to stop the cycle when the load is sufficiently dry will not only save energy but also potentially time compared to a programme with a pre fixed duration Although it is not possible to draw firm conclusions from the anecdotal evidence we have presented it is reasonable to assume that eco modes in general can save a significant amount of energy based on e g the values presented in table 1 at a performance level that may often seem acceptable provided the impact on other aspects such as programme duration remains reasonable and users are well informed of the gains Policy implications As we have seen the energy performance of a product can vary greatly depending on the way it is set and used This variation has three major implications for policies aimed at increasing energy efficiency e It is an important issue to consider when deciding how the energy performance of a product is to be assessed in order to underpin fair and effective energy labels and minimum energy performance requirements e It suggests that product regulations should not only address product technical efficiency but also ways to better ensure that products are used in the most efficient ways e It can have an influence on policy delivery and evaluation because if people do not use products in the way expected the final amount of energy savings can be quite differ
16. mingly impressive number of home PCs used without power management on a very large share of machines according to IVF 2007 confirmed in more recent research ECW 2010 that found the issue in 50 of the 50 homes they studied Another illustration is a survey of consumer behaviour in Germany on dishwashers showing 80 of respondents not using primarily the energy saving programme Bichler 2015 Consumers commonly use just one programme Bichler 2014 Richter 2010b however this programme is different from consumer to consumer as shown in Table 2 Table 2 Overview of dishwashing programmes chosen as the main programme of households using mainly this programme 9 SG 0G JEWJION 9 99 09 JEWJION sowweibojd 19470 x wo Stamminger and Streichardt 2009 n 2599 z a S a z lt oO o oO Bichler 2015 Online study n 3836 2 P Bichler 2015 Usage diary study n 202 This contrasts with usual consumer statements where a majority declare energy and water saving as their top priority Presutto et al 2007 Schmitz and Stamminger 2014 There may be several reasons for this mismatch including difficulty to identify the best eco programme perceived cleaning or drying result doubts about the programme length confusion about the energy impact of the various programmes in particular the performance of the short vs eco programme etc Stiftung Warentest the German consumer test
17. n Journal of Applied Sciences Horowitz Noah 2013 Energy Use Trends Policies and Savings Opportunities Related to Consumer Electronics Presented at the 2013 eceee Summer Study Hotpoint FFUG 18xx x O3 FFUG 20xx x 03 Operating Instructions 2015 url http kitchen manualsonline com manuals mfg hotpoint ffug_18xx_x_o03 html p 1 date visited 05 01 2015 ISO 2015 What is a standard url http www iso org iso home standards htm date visited 05 01 2015 IVF 2007 Preparatory Study for Ecodesign Requirements Personal Computers and Computer Monitors Meier Alan Aragon Cecilia Peffer Therese Perry Daniel Pritoni Marco 2011 Facilitating energy savings through enhanced usability of thermostats Presented at the 2011 eceee Summer Study Moezzi Mithra Lutzenhiser Loren 2010 What s Missing in Theories of the Residential Energy User Presented at the 2010 ACEEE Summer Study Morris Jonathan 2012 Is your TV picture perfectly optimised Research says no url http www smarttvradar com 4375 is your tv picture perfectly optimised research says no date visited 05 01 2015 N9ws 2011 Eco Conception le mode Eco de la neufbox Evolution est il efficace url http www n9ws com n9ws eco conception 3a le mode eco de la neufbox evolution est il efficace 3f 2716 html date visited 05 01 2015 Nelson Dennis J Berrisford Andrew J Xu Jiaying 2014 MELs What Have We Found through End use Metering Presented at the 2014 AC
18. n and Energy Labelling regulations the analysis about user behaviour has often proven to be too rudimentary or unsatisfactory The diversity of practices is not sufficiently acknowledged Prignot 2009 A statement confirmed in some of the EU preparatory studies prior to Ecodesign regulations such as the one on TVs Fraunhofer 2007 recognising that the variety of TV use patterns is growing making it very difficult for them to determine averages Another example has been the controversial discussions about vacuum cleaner usage patterns that revealed major disagreements between stakeholders and a lack of robust knowledge in relation to actual user behaviour AEA 2009 There have been attempts outside the EU at better understanding and characterising the subtleties of appliance use behaviour such as the Energy Efficient Use Index concept for standby Shuma Iwisi 2011 or research on the usability of thermostats Meier et al 2011 yet we think this is still a relatively unexplored area especially when it comes to user motivations for selecting settings and programmes Consequences If real life product use is overlooked or averaged in too simplistic ways policies and measures directed at cutting energy use may miss important aspects and therefore not deliver the expected results Besides standard energy performance ratings for consumer information may be artificial or misleading if they are done in a way that diverges too much from
19. ons such as do people vacuum longer when the cleaning or sucking performance is decreased are important because they have consequences on annual energy use SHORT SPIN OFF COTTONS SPIN Oo 9 LINEN PUMP OUT N gt ENERGY SAVING D 60 STARCHING GENTLE RINSE e EASY IRON Figure 2 Washing machine example Chadwick Mal 2013 From our experience this however remains limited In most cases eco modes can deliver significant energy savings especially when they are framed by clear definitions and safeguards to limit potential fraud An illuminating example is that of washing machines in the EU Eco modes are now defined in regulation Commission Regulation No 1015 2010 They shall be named as standard 60 C cotton programme and standard 40 C cotton programme to encourage users to use them by default and shall be clearly identifiable on the programme selection device They shall be the most efficient programmes in terms of combined energy and water consumptions for washing cotton laundry In addition manufacturers have to declare the energy consumption of the different programmes in instruction manuals Figure 3 shows an example of declared values found in the manual of an A washing machine model AEG L 89495 FL Comparing the consumption for the non eco cotton 60 C programme cottons 60 C versus Standard 60 C cotton we see an energy consumption that can be more than twice that of t
20. our in terms of avoiding unnecessary energy consumption Moezzi et al 2010 Contrary to a common misconception users do seem to read product instruction manuals according to available surveys such as Pistochini et al 2013 however a large share may miss the point about energy use in relation to settings 36 of respondents found user manuals incomplete or complex in Pistochini et al 2013 an Italian survey related to white appliances Another study revealed that more than half of British TV owners never make any adjustment to their TV picture after purchasing the set potentially using more energy than necessary Morris 2012 An understudied problem Market statistics and rulemaking on appliance efficiency are traditionally based on averages hiding the disparities and complexities of the use of products in real life The practice of assuming an average behaviour saves time and simplifies calculations User behaviour is often considered to be a given and stable fact and not influenced and produced by the design of the appliance itself or its interface Prignot 2009 The problem is that assumptions about behaviour are often based on overall optimism concerning the energy benefits of pure technological change Moezzi et al 2010 The way in which these average behaviours are constructed in EU policy reveals weaknesses and oversimplification due to a lack of data and research As an illustration in the preparation of Ecodesig
21. s may be annoying for some users but also largely acceptable for others But there is always a possibility that in order to always show better performance some eco modes become so artificial that their use may be considered by users as impractical or troublesome especially when they are not aware of the savings and benefits at stake The significant energy consumption reduction achieved in washing machine eco programmes is not at the cost of a decrease in washing performance as regulation sets a high level of washing performance in all programmes but through longer duration to undertake the wash cycle the energy saving programme often takes one hour more than the non eco cotton programme Users who want a quick wash may be surprised and upset by this longer delay Regrettably consumers are rarely informed about the rationale for these consequences and these may come as an unfortunate surprise Regarding washing machines few people realise that low energy consumption and good performance require increasing the time of the wash at a given washing technology A probable reason for this is that the information concerning programme duration is not easily accessible to consumers prior to purchase Consequently consumers do not pay sufficient attention to programme durations at the time of purchase and manufacturers are not encouraged to make progress on this parameter It has to be noted however that increased energy efficiency does not necessari
22. strating the best energy performance i e the one using the eco button This would give their products a much higher energy rating and ease the compliance with minimum performance requirements adopted in 2013 However as mentioned earlier the eco button mode may not be the most frequently used in real life especially if it stretches energy performance artificially at a too high cost for user comfort The consequences of this would be threefold e For the environment as energy savings initially expected by the product regulations would be hindered by the way products are tested e For consumers who would be kept unaware of the mode their appliance was tested in to achieve the efficiency rating on energy labels and potentially surprised to receive higher than expected energy bills e For the industry a fair and honest comparison of products would be jeopardised In the absence of harmonised standards to support the EU regulations on water heaters at the time of publication in August 2013 the European Commission issued a Communication Official Journal of the European Union 2014 with transitional methods to be used until harmonised standards are completed These methods did not specify the testing mode settings either Having recognised the problem and need to specify the mode under which the tests should be conducted and in the absence of sufficient user behaviour research in the area of water heaters to characterise the most represen
23. t energy efficiency does not just remain on paper but becomes reality Introduction Traditionally energy efficient technologies and appliance regulations are designed to deliver provided people behave as expected with the products that is in accordance with the designer s or decision maker s vision The focus is primarily on the technical design phase before products are placed on the market There has so far been too little interest and research on what happens in real life after the sale is actually made With appliances becoming more energy efficient but also more sophisticated and adjustable the way they are set and used becomes a critical determinant of their real life energy consumption and an important aspect for policy formulation Users in general pay little attention to product settings so real life use of products may diverge widely from what would have been expected by engineers and policymakers This can lead to energy wastage There is also a risk that the standard way in which products are tested for energy performance is not representative of what many users are actually doing hence creating a gap in user information and policy reliability Extent of the issue User induced variations in appliance energy consumption Available evidence suggests that actual user behaviour regarding energy using products at home is often inconsistent and varies hugely across households Moezzi et al 2010 Some energy metering campaigns
24. tative of real life mode the European Commission specified that each water heater shall be tested in the out of the box mode This mode has been defined as the standard operating condition setting or mode set by the manufacturer at factory level to be active immediately after the appliance installation suitable for normal use by the end user according to the water tapping pattern for which the product has been designed and placed on the market Official Journal of the European Union 2014 The rationale behind this specification lies on the fact that if a consumer does not intervene on the product by changing the settings after it is installed it will run according to the energy class specified on the energy label However this solution only partly resolves the issue as the product could be set by the manufacturer in an eco mode by default though later on switched by the consumer to another mode with higher energy consumption without the user knowing the energy consumption impact of this change Making eco the default option It would not necessarily be a bad thing if products are tested in their eco mode provided this mode is really efficient convenient clear to consumers and most importantly largely used by default Coming back to the example of washing machines it has been shown earlier that the eco programmes are those which use the least amount of energy with a satisfying level of washing performance However users ar
25. te results can be adopted The conditions in which products are tested usually matter sometimes very much Particularly as different modes or settings and their multiple combinations may significantly impact the energy consumption As an example the decision in the EU to test TV sets in a home mode instead of brighter out of the box mode has resulted in a 30 improvement of the apparent energy performance Digital Europe 2012 Therefore an agreed and well specified definition of the settings under which the performance of products is tested declared and verified appears as an essential condition for the standards to deliver their aforementioned purposes Risks of grey areas the water heater example Yet this condition is not always fulfilled or not sufficiently In this case each manufacturer or market surveillance authority may conduct tests under random or most favourable settings each time impeding fair or accurate comparison A representative example of such a situation is water heaters in the EU Spiliotopoulos 2014 As described earlier some water heaters provide an eco button deactivating the function of constantly keeping an amount of water hot The measurement standards currently under development and candidate for harmonisation do not specify clearly the mode that products should be tested under Manufacturers would be free to test their products under any mode It is logical to assume that they would choose the one demon
26. water when the tap is turned on Worcester Bosch 2015 The main consequence is a few second delay in the delivery of hot water e In some refrigerators pressing the eco button adjusts the temperature of the refrigerator and freezer compartments for reduced energy consumption Samsung 2015 Hotpoint 2015 e More confusingly the absence of a clear definition allows sometimes for a variable use of the term eco for different functions and combination of settings even amongst products of the same category For instance different car models have eco buttons that do different things smooth throttle response change the transmission programme adjust the HVAC system reduce the load for air conditioning according to manufacturer and model Ramsey 2011 Do eco modes really save energy A few examples of doubts about questionable eco modes have been reported We can mention two of them e Tests on an internet gateway model in 2011 have revealed that the eco modes were not saving more than 1 W power overall N9ws 2011 where these eco modes have been qualified as an inefficient gadget e Figure 2 from a relatively old model as far as we can tell shows a washing machine for which the so called energy saving programme was probably a more energy efficient alternative than the 95 C normal programme but still at a temperature higher than 60 C and thus by far not the least consuming option 3 2 s y Unresolved questi
27. what a large share of people really experience at home Calwell 2013 An actual example may be the washing machine energy label where machines reach declared values of A minus 50 and above but the programmes behind the label classification are taking so much time that hardly any consumer will use them The shorter programmes in contrary use much more energy Can we trust eco modes One particular mode setting that is increasingly available on appliances and energy using equipment is the so called eco mode button It is supposed to help users reduce their environmental impact easily and to some extent showcase the manufacturer s green consciousness It is therefore of particular interest to have a look at this particular mode and understand how relevant and successful it can be at mitigating the issues addressed in the previous part No clear definition Although the concept of eco mode can be understood as an alternative combination of settings under which a lower or the lowest environmental impact energy consumption is achieved by the product neither a general nor specific standardised definition nor specifications are available for most product categories Using an eco mode can affect the operation of a product in different ways e In some water heaters the eco button deactivates pre heating meaning that the equipment no longer keeps an amount of water constantly hot for use anytime but would only start heating
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