The SAVE-project "Energy Labels", which was coordinated by O.Ö. Energiesparverband, aimed at increasing overall awareness of energy quality in production and consumption and the possibility to make an informed choice based on an energy label. The understanding and use of existing labels should be increased.

8 partners from 7 countries co-operated in the EU-project. The project targeted on the one hand at end consumers with an information package to increase this level of awareness and understanding, but also addressed organisations and companies issuing energy labels, thereby contributing to a market development of energy labels from both sides of the market.

Energy labels are an instrument of increasing importance, for example the energy labels for buildings, energy labels for appliances or also labelling of electricity. One of the project activities was a description of Austrian labels, an international workshop and the development of an information folder.

Objectives

Energy labels are an energy policy instrument of increasing importance: the labels for household appliances, building certification systems (well developed in some countries, under development in others, foreseen in the new draft building directive) and the emerging labels for green electricity. All these labels aim at enabling end consumers to make a greener, a more environmentally friendly choice. Additionally, energy labels also provide information on the economic impact of investment decision by showing that higher initial costs are paid back by lower energy costs throughout the life-time of the appliance or the building, thereby decreasing the overall expenditure in this field. However, with the increasing number of energy labels (for appliances, buildings, green electricity) there is a certain risk of confusion of end consumers. That is why the objective of the project was two-fold:  

• firstly, it aimed at increasing overall awareness of "energy quality" in production and consumption and the possibility to make an informed choice based on an energy label
• secondly, it aimed at increasing the understanding and use of existing labels.

Based on the up-coming directives on buildings and electricity from renewable energy sources a number of labelling activities were organized during years 2002 and 2003. The proposed project could make an important contribution in speeding up the market penetration of these new labelling efforts.

The project targeted on the one hand end at consumers with an information package to increase this level of awareness and understanding, but also addressed organisations and companies issuing energy labels, thereby contributing to a market development of energy labels from both sides of the market.