New energy labels will be introduced in the Republic of Moldova. The EU energy labeling framework will reintroduce a simpler classification, using only the letters from A to G. The rescaling will also lead to better differentiation among products that, under the current label classification, all appear in the same top categories. The main principle is that the A category will be empty at first, and B and C categories scarcely populated, to pave way for new, more energy efficient products to be invented and developed, IPN reports, quoting the Energy Efficiency Agency.
Manufacturers have continued to innovate and develop more and more energy efficient products. For some product categories the "A" was no longer enough to describe the most energy efficient products, so the A+, A++ or even A+++ had to be added to the classification system. At the same time, the lower classes (E, F, G) for some product categories were phased out due to ecodesign requirements or became so rare that they were no longer needed.
To help consumers make informed choices when they buy new energy efficient products and at the same time continue encouraging industry to develop less energy-consuming products, it became clear that the EU energy labels needed a simpler scaling system. The new energy labels are to be adopted in the Ministerial Council of the Energy Community.
The Energy Efficiency Agency warns the consumers that when choosing domestic appliances with a higher energy efficiency level, they can significantly reduce the use of electricity and save considerably this way. Consumption of electricity will decrease by almost 20% if a lower energy class is replaced with a superior class.
The study “Energy Consumption in Households” carried out by the National Bureau of Statistics in 2022 showed that most of the consumers know the most important characteristics of electrical appliances in terms of energy efficiency and their impact on the environment. Despite knowledge of the energy class, the price of the product is the main characteristic when buying a product for 66.2% of the households. 14.7% take into account the name of the producer and only 13.3% - the energy class.