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>>I was not aware how quickly and dramatically the tests change, it makes comparison between different models almost useless unless you read through entire test protocols.

Not really, you just need to make sure you compare a 2022 model with another 2022 model, not a 2022 model with a 2015 one for instance.

Similar thing was done recently with energy efficiency labelling in the EU - since the label was introduced almost every appliance on the market has managed to meet the most stringent label(A grade) so it was common to see say, dishwashers all rated A++++ or A++++++ or something equally stupid. So last year the labels got significantly revised, and the old A label became the new F or whatever, which led to quite a shock from some consumers who were unaware - normally you wouldn't buy say a tumble dryer with an F rating, but under the new system that's only as bad as the old A label.

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The changes to EU energy efficiency labelling were a little different in that it was an active, stated goal that it should not be possible for manufacturers to achieve the top A rating in the near future and the criteria were set with the aim of achieving that. That is, the top rating is by design currently unattainable. I think changes to crash ratings generally target specific perceived deficiencies of current car safety that the testing organisations think manfacturers can and should fix.

Yeah that makes sense - it's the same in fuel efficiency actually. The new goal for 2022 is for manufacturers selling in the EU to have an overal fleet average of 50g of CO2/km, and that's just physically not possible with just a pure ICE car. Manufacturers have to transition either to full EVs or plug in hybrids at the very least, or they have to pay absolutely draconian fines for every gram of CO2/km over the limit. In that sense the norm is also higher than anything currently possible with existing technology(in terms of what a pure ICE car can do).

Iirc new ICE models will be banned in some countries as early as 2030.

> almost every appliance on the market has managed to meet the most stringent label(A grade) so it was common to see say, dishwashers all rated A++++ or A++++++ or something equally stupid. So last year the labels got significantly revised, and the old A label became the new F or whatever

Y'know, this is why we invented ... numbers. Efficiency is not something that can be easily measured with a constant rating. Just let the number keep going up! Even people of below average intelligence can tell that a "1000" efficiency rating is better than an "800", even if a decade ago, manufacturers struggled to hit 100.

Or use some known units with it. However A-F grades also convey a good/bad that non knowledgeable people need. Is 7w.H per kg of washed clothes good for a washing machine? I don't know - but I know an A seems to be good for current models.

I could buy the case for a label with "A - 2018 rating" and the number with equally large text underneath it. The issue is just that the rating is often completely non-informative, unless you always buy the latest-year model of appliance.

In the US they stick a big label on appliances with the cost to run the device for a year. It makes it easier to compair.

Funny. I have a washing machine which depends on the amount of dirty laundry. How do they know how many people generate dirty laundry in my home ?

I seem to remember it's just assumed that the washing machine is filled up to x % of capactiy on average, and that this is also at least partially to blame for the disappearance of smaller washing machines [1] – bigger washing machines are more energy-efficient, assuming they're actually used to capacity. Because assumed usage simply scales with the machine's capacity, manufacturers can simply bump up capacities in order to make their machines appear more efficient, never mind how much people actually fill up those machines in practice.

[1] Our old washing machine had a capacity of something like 4 or 5 kg, which was perfectly fine for how we used it, but when we had to replace it a year or two ago, it was hard to find anything smaller than 7 or 8 kg.

Wow. That's really frustrating. It's kind of wild how difficult it is to properly tune standards to create the correct incentives. I wonder if this is the sort of problem that's just the result of profit-seeking by manufacturers, or whether it's the result of a more fundamental problem with simplifying complex issues like "efficiency" down to a single target.

>not a 2022 model with a 2015 one

Well, yeah, but that's an important type of comparison!

Obviously (?) people who are concerned about safety want to factor it in when deciding whether to exchange their car for a new one. You can't do it every year.

So if the different years have no particular quantitative relationship between ratings, then they're no help in that respect. "Better" and "worse" don't tell you how much in any way that indicates if it matters. This has a "5" rating and that has a "0" rating, so how many percent better is it?

You can read the summary pdf and see what the issues are and what is rewarded.

I could, but if it's qualitative, then is it actionable?

How can one make a decision without reducing the available information to a single ratio and a threshold?

There was a picture I saw on Twitter a while ago. The UK has apparently/obviously not adopted the new EU standard, so there was a photo of product packaging with 2 energy labels, one that says "valid for the UK", and the gadget had a B rating, and one valid for the EU, with a E rating...

I live in the UK, the new rating is definitely already here, seen it in shops and online.

As a simplest example - Bosch dishwasher, not long ago this was A+ rated, now it's E rated, at one of the biggest UK DYI stores:

https://www.diy.com/departments/bosch-smv2itx18g-integrated-...

Bough appliances this summer and there was a mix between the old and the new system all over the appliance stores!

This seems like it’s designed to incentivize manufacturers to keep making (or overstock on) the old, higher-scoring (perhaps worse performing) model.

That's not how it works - if the model is currently being made, then it has to be re-labeled with the new system. The only instance when the stores are allowed to use the old label is if they literally still have old stock, but it should disappear from shelves pretty quickly.

As the label deadline is approaching, it would seem a large advantage to make an extra year’s worth of product and stuff the channel. Retailers would be happy to participate as they’d now have a higher margin “A rated” appliance to offer.

Nobody wants too keep stock. Everybody just builds the smallest warehouse that can get away with, and some places don't even have that.

That's part of the reason for all the supply issues right now.

The labels are slightly different. Consumers who pay attention can see that. The easiest way is to look for a QR code. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union_energy_label)

Right, just bought a new TV and it came with an energy efficiency rating of F. Now it makes sense.

Lightbulbs too, even a 5.5 watt 470lm lightbulb has an F.

To be fair, 85 lumens per watt isn’t very good these days, or even compared to T8 CFL lamps (60 lumens per watt).

Efficient LED fixtures are putting out ~130 lumens per watt these days, some LED highbays are pushing 175-200 lumens per watt.

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