60% of energy efficiency labels false
The most common error was that the manufacturers had made their products appear 1 energy efficiency class better than they in fact were. This results in the consumer ending up with an electricity bill that is tens of euros more expensive than it would have been had the label been accurate.
Chantal Depauw of the Economic Inspectorate told the VRT that “We should check is everything has been filled in truthfully, but this doesn’t happen very often. We don’t have the time, the staff or the means to scrutinise all the products that are on the market.”
Independent labeling or stricter tests?
The Flemish Green MP Kristof Calvo has called for the labeling to be done by independent experts in future.
However, the Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Peeters doesn’t think that this is feasible. Mr Peeters calls stricter test to be carried out. He told VRT Radio 2 that he hopes that stricter tests can be agreed upon at a European level.