Beware unfriendly practices with appliance data
Although there is now a standard way of measuring key parameters of a home appliance,
there are unfortunately some confusing claims about capacity and performance that
might muddle you.
Beware of capacity claims that do not add up
Today there is a statutory way of displaying information on household appliances
namely the energy label (See
this govenrment agency web page for more details ). However, retailers frequently
display different information in additional labels which can confuse you.
For example one retailer displays the statutory energy label on a freezer
but the retailer’s own label attached to the same freezer shows different data
Unfortunately the capacity figures do not match up. The “storage capacity” given
by the retailer as ‘9.4 cubic feet’ equates to 266 litres - not the fresh food volume
of 228 litres on the Energy Label. Whatever gross capacity the cubic feet
refer to, it is not the usable food volume that consumers care about. In fact if
a customer used the “storage capacity” figure they would actually get less than
86% of that volume to store food!
Representing capacity in different ways is misleading to consumers as it easily
sets false expectations.
Don't be muddled by cubic feet
Many British retailers insist on labelling the capacity of appliances in cubic feet.
This is not helpful when basic appliance dimensions – like those of kitchen units
– are metric. Worse still it is not easy to imagine the capacity in terms of everyday
items of food.
Is it easy to imagine the capacity of say a microwave oven in terms of pairs of
old boots (cubic feet)?
or is it easier to imagine it in terms of fruit juice cartons (litres)?
Check the usable capacity of ovens, fridges and freezers in litres.
Strangely enough, although most microwaves are labelled in cubic feet by retailers
The above picture shows the retailers in-store product information for customers.
The manufacturers label their product capacity in litres.
The above picture is the side of the packaging in which the oven is shipped.
Although the BTU is an old-fashioned unit, it is frequently used by retailers to
describe the output of heaters or air conditioning units.
Unfortunately when products are described in this way it is difficult for a buyer
to compare product performance without calculation.
For example a range of cookers was advertised describing electric, gas and oil variants
in terms of BTU/h performance
While the figures in BTU/h permit comparison of the different variants, it is impossible
to compare the performance with other gas or electric cookers which quote performance
in kilowatts. Worse still, it is hard to estimate the electric and gas running costs
as electricity and gas utility bills price energy in kilowatts.
Disclaimer
The examples of what UKMA views as consumer-unfriendly practices are real and representative
of how household appliances are sold in Britain today. The fact that certain examples
have been used should not be taken to be singling out particular retailers for criticism.
These practices are unfortunately widespread and are a direct result of a poorly
executed transition from imperial to metric by successive governments. UKMA campaigns
for a reform of the way that products, such as home appliances, are described to
give consumers better quality information for comparing products.