GEEA-Label

www.efficient-appliances.org

Aim

• Information about energy-efficient appliances
• Establishment of a uniform voluntary European-wide scheme for energy efficient appliances
  

Product/service group

Home electronics, office equipment and IT-equipment with high energy-efficiency profiles

Issuing body & criteria

The “Group for Energy Efficient Appliances” (GEEA) is responsible for activities of GEEA-label on the European level. National energy agencies issue the label in the member states. In Germany this issuing body is the Gemeinschaft Energielabel Deutschland (GED), an association of energy agencies and ecological organisations.

The criteria are set and adapted every year by GEEA in co-operation with the industry involved. The National Registration Offices apply common definition schemes, test methods, criteria and voluntary cooperation without any obligation for industry.

• The energy consumption in standby passive mode may not exceed 1 W (TV, VCR, monitor, fax machines, copiers, cordless phones).
• For TV the criteria include the energy consumption in standby and operating mode. It is determined in a so called energy efficiency index (0,75 for TV).
• The guideline value for PCs in standby mode are
• PC with integrated monitor: 10 W / 30 min
• PC without integrated monitor: 15 W / 30 min

The power consumption has to be determined according to the test method issued by the GEEA. The measurements are performed by the manufacturer or importer (self declaration).

Control mechanisms

GEEA or other bodies may perform tests on registered products (random tests).

Relevance on the market

Appliances with the GEEA-label signalise a high energy-efficiency in standby mode. The reduction of energy consumption helps to reduce the products overall environmental impact.
The label only refers to energy consumption, other ecological criteria are not considered. But the requirements of the GEEA-label are higher than those of other comparable labels incl. the Energy Star. It is not as known as the Energy Star but the GEEA-label could be considered as a label for higher standards which is obtained only by 25 % of the products in a market segment.
There is no control through independent institutions. Nevertheless,  the credibility of the label is high due to the influences of different groups on the criteria development and the issuing process. The list of labelled products is therefore a good guidance for customers who like to save energy.