How to read an energy label: the EU label, the U.S. EnergyGuide and Latin American labels

What the energy label is for

It’s a mandatory sticker on many new appliances (fridges, washing machines, air conditioners, TVs, light bulbs…) that tells you how much electricity they use, measured in the lab with the same test for every model. That way you can compare two appliances in the shop before you buy. Each country or region has its own, and they don’t all read the same, but almost all of them have the same parts.

Where to look: the four parts that matter most

1. The scale (1 in the drawing): the coloured bars, from most efficient (green, at the top) to least (red, at the bottom).
2. The appliance’s letter (2): the black arrow pointing at one of the bars.
3. What it uses (3): a number in kWh. Check the period: for fridges it’s usually per year; for European washing machines and dishwashers, per 100 cycles; for European light bulbs, per 1,000 hours switched on.
4. The QR code (4), on the new European and Argentine labels: it takes you to an official database with the model’s full product sheet.

With the kWh on the label you can work out what it will cost you: in the electricity usage calculator, choose the “kWh/year” unit and enter the number from the label. If you’re not sure what a kWh is, we explain it in watts, kWh, volts and amps.

The European label

In 2017 the European Commission decided to go back to a simple scale, from A (most efficient) to G (least), because over the years almost every appliance had climbed to A+, A++ or A+++ and the label no longer helped tell them apart. The new classes are also stricter. The change has come in by product group:

• From 1 March 2021: fridges and freezers, washing machines and washer-dryers, dishwashers, and TVs and monitors.
• From 1 September 2021: light bulbs and other light sources.
• From 20 June 2025: smartphones and tablets, whose label also shows how long the battery lasts and how easy they are to repair.
• From 1 July 2025: tumble dryers.

Air conditioners still use the old A+++ to D scale, and their label gives consumption in kWh per year, separately for cooling and heating.

The key point: an old A+++ is not a new A. Because the new classes are stricter, an appliance that used to be A+++ can now have a lower letter while using exactly the same. If you’re comparing a model with an old label and one with a new label, don’t trust the letters: look at the kWh.

The QR code takes you to the EU’s official database (EPREL). The Commission warns that the address that opens on your phone should start with ec.europa.eu, and to be wary of stickers with a fake QR code stuck over the label.

The U.S. EnergyGuide label

It’s the yellow label, required under the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rule on refrigerators, freezers, clothes washers, dishwashers, televisions, water heaters, room and central air conditioners, heat pumps, furnaces, boilers and pool heaters. It has no letters. Here’s how to read it:

• In large print, the estimated yearly energy cost in dollars.
• A bar showing the cost range of similar models, from cheapest to most expensive to run, and where this one sits.
• The kWh per year it uses.
• A line with the electricity price that was used: the U.S. national average. If your kWh costs more or less, your cost will be different; to get yours, multiply the kWh by your own price.
• Sometimes, the ENERGY STAR logo, the government’s efficiency mark, in the bottom right corner.

Latin America: Mexico, Argentina and Colombia

Mexico. The “yellow label” has existed since 1994 and is required by the official efficiency standards (NOM-ENER). On the fridge label (NOM-015-ENER-2018) there are three figures to check: the energy consumption in kWh per year, the limit the standard allows for that type of fridge, and the energy saving as a %, worked out as (1 − consumption ÷ limit) × 100. The higher the %, the less it uses compared with the maximum allowed. The label itself warns that actual consumption depends on how you use the appliance.

Argentina. The lettered label was overhauled by Resolution 438/2024 of the Secretariat of Industry and Trade: a scale from A to G (seven classes at most), a QR code that leads to the model’s sheet in an official database, and the previous rules repealed from 5 March 2026. If you come across an old label with A+ or A++, don’t compare it with a new one by the letter: look at the kWh.

Colombia. The RETIQ label shows the word “Energía” with the national flag, the consumption in kWh per year or per month depending on the appliance, and coloured bars from A, “lowest consumption”, to the last one, “highest consumption”. Resolution 40285 of 2026 from the Ministry of Mines and Energy makes the classes stricter from 25 December 2026: a label from before that date and one from after shouldn’t be compared by the letter.

An example with numbers

Two similar fridges: one uses 152 kWh a year and the other 280 kWh a year. The difference is 280 − 152 = 128 kWh a year. If you pay 0.20 per kWh, that’s 128 × 0.20 = 25.60 a year in your currency, every year they run.

A European washing machine that uses 55 kWh per 100 cycles, if you run 4 loads a week (208 a year), uses 55 × 208 ÷ 100 = 114 kWh a year.

And in Mexico: a fridge with a consumption of 380 kWh a year and a limit of 500 has a saving of (1 − 380 ÷ 500) × 100 = 24%.

Common mistakes when reading the label

• Comparing letters from different scales: an old A+++ with a new A, or a European letter with an Argentine or Colombian one. Each scale has its own limits.
• Looking only at the letter: the letter compares with similar appliances; what you pay for is the kWh. A bigger fridge can use more kWh even with a better letter.
• Forgetting the period: kWh per year isn’t the same as per 100 cycles or per 1,000 hours.
• Thinking the figure is exact: it comes from a lab test; what you actually use depends on how you use it.

The label helps you choose, not install. Large appliances like an air conditioner or water heater must be connected by an installer or electrician. To find what size air conditioner you need, use the air conditioner size calculator.